Authors: Hari Krishna Bhattarai, Kevin Kei Ching Hung, Makiko Kato MacDermot, Ives Hubloue, Francesco Barone-Adesi, Luca Ragazzoni, Francesco Della Corte, Richa Acharya, Colin A Graham
This study sought to explore the facilitating factors and barriers of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) during health emergencies in Nepal. In-depth interviews were conducted with FCHVs and health managers to explore their level of knowledge on earthquakes and their experience in the 2015 earthquakes. Questions included knowledge on earthquakes, FCHVs’ experience during the early response, FCHVs’ roles in response, and more. The results demonstrated that FCHVs were the first responders to provide services after the earthquakes, and were well accepted by the local communities. Barriers faced by FCHVs when responding to earthquakes, however, included lack of prior training and lack of access to adequate medical supplies. These findings emphasize the need for regular disaster response training for FCHVs and strong leadership from the public sector. Sustained investments may also be needed to increase the capacities of CHW workforces while preparing for the impacts of future health emergencies in resource-poor settings.
Link: Role of Community Health Volunteers Since the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes: A Qualitative Study
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Resource Topic: CHW, Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2022
Region: Asia
Country: Nepal
Publisher May Restrict Access: No