Assessment of policy context and climate resilient capacity of health system in Nepal: R4R Climate Change

Introduction

ReBUILD for Resilience is an international research consortium funded by the UK government, dedicated to strengthening resilience and building stronger systems for health across multiple levels and sectors in fragile and shock-prone settings, namely Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal and Sierra Leone. These settings face significant challenges due to fragility, violence, conflict and other shocks, eroding efforts to build healthy, equitable and prosperous societies. Innovative, timely and contextually tailored evidence generated in partnership with key local and national stakeholders is critical to developing and sustaining resilient health systems, which are currently lacking in these regions. Through this consortium, we aim to generate high quality, practical, multidisciplinary, operationally-relevant and scalable health system research in these settings.

This study aims to explore the policy context and assess the climate resilience capacity of health systems especially at the local level to address the health risks of climate change in Nepal. Specifically, the objectives of this study are to:

1. assess the health sector policies, preparedness and responses adopted to address health risks of climate change at national and subnational levels in Nepal;
2. adapt and develop a climate resilience capacity mapping framework and assess the capacity of a municipality health system to face the challenges posed by climate change;
3. collaborate with health system stakeholders to co-create a context relevant adaptation intervention package to support building climate resilient health system.

Approach

This is a cross-sectional exploratory study using mixed methods – review and analysis of secondary data and documents and primary data collection mainly through qualitative data collection techniques. The study will use the resilience framework to inform the overall study design and analysis.

Further, the study will use the available standard resilience capacity assessment tools and framework to adapt and develop a tailored framework for assessing climate resilient capacity assessment of the system at national and subnational levels. The study will use participatory workshops with local stakeholders to co-create intervention package to prepare and respond to the risks of climate crisis.

The study is being implemented in Kapilvastu municipality in Kapilvastu District of Lumbini Province and Patarashi rural municipality in Jumla District of Karnali Province.

Outcomes:

This study will generate evidence on capacity and needs of local health systems in the context of climate change in the federalized context, thereby, informing about the climate resilience capacity of health systems.