- ISSUES -
Introduction
Survival on the Land
Status of Women
Violence/Sexual Exploitation
Health
Caste
|
HEALTH
 In
rural areas 39% of the population lacks access to safe drinking water,
and only 18% have sanitary disposal of excreta. Not surprisingly, the
incidence of intestinal diseases is extremely high. Women cook over an
open fire on the kitchen floor, and houses are constructed without chimneys.
This results in a high incidence of serious upper respiratory diseases.
48% of children under 3 are underweight. Life expectancy for Dalits
is 50.8 years, compared to a national average of 54. But for Dalit women
it is only 42.
In 1998 Nepal had one doctor per 20,000 people. Because of the scarcity
of health care centers and trained personnel, people rely on traditional
medicine and shamans. Occasionally, people make the trip to a hospital,
carrying the sick person in special baskets on their backs. If they cannot
afford the cost, people are refused treatment or are forced to sell their
land to raise the money needed. |
