Title: Longevity in Nepal: health, policy and service provision challenges

Authors: Sara Parker; Bijan Pant

Addresses: School of Humanities and Social Science, Liverpool John Moores University, 68 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BZ, UK ' School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool, L69 7ZA, UK

Abstract: Longevity is a relatively recent phenomenon in Nepal; over the past few decades the priority in Nepal has been reducing infant and maternal mortality. With an increasingly ageing population and changing patterns of migration, this brings with it challenges to Nepali society in terms of meeting the needs of an ageing population and creating a policy environment that ensures these needs are met. This paper explores some of the complexities of an ageing population in Nepal and focuses on examining the various health and service implications to a nation that has recently been engaged in a decade long |People|s War|. Through highlighting the paucity of research in this area, this paper argues for an urgent need for research, both scientific and within the social sciences, into the complexities of meeting the needs of an ageing population in the context of Nepal. It clearly demonstrates the need for new spaces of dialogue to emerge where these debates and lessons can be shared.

Keywords: Nepal; ageing populations; service provision; infant mortality; maternal mortality; children; mothers; women; migration patterns; policy environments; health implications; service implications; Nepali Civil War; People's War; social sciences; society; systems science; disease; environment; longevity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSS.2011.043211

International Journal of Society Systems Science, 2011 Vol.3 No.4, pp.333 - 345

Published online: 27 Feb 2015 *

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