Introduction
The Ministry of Health and Population Nepal has historically served as the country’s principal federal authority for healthcare policy, public health, disease prevention, population management and health-sector regulation.
Following a government restructuring in May 2026, it was renamed the Ministry of Health and Food Safety. However, the former name and the abbreviation MoHP remain widely used in national laws, strategies, reports and development programs.
The ministry coordinates with provincial governments, Nepal’s 753 local governments, hospitals, regulatory institutions, development partners and civil-society organisations to improve access to quality healthcare.
History and Background
Nepal’s public-health administration developed through government institutions responsible for hospitals, disease control, sanitation and population policy.
Major milestones include:
- Adoption of the National Health Policy in 1991.
- Introduction of the National Drug Policy in 1995.
- Adoption of the National Safe Motherhood Policy in 1998.
- Recognition of basic healthcare as a constitutional right in 2015.
- Enactment of the Public Health Service Act and Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act in 2018.
- Adoption of the National Health Policy in 2019.
- Introduction of the Nepal Health Sector Strategic Plan 2023–2030.
Nepal’s federal system distributes health responsibilities among federal, provincial and local governments. The ministry sets national policies and standards, while provincial and local authorities deliver many frontline services.
Mission and Purpose
The ministry’s mission is to protect citizens’ fundamental health rights and improve the health status of every person in Nepal.
Its major objectives are to:
- Improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the health system.
- Provide equitable access to quality healthcare.
- Promote sustainable health financing and social protection.
- Address the social and environmental determinants of health.
- Strengthen emergency preparedness and disease surveillance.
- Support the effective management of population change and migration.
The ministry also leads Nepal’s progress toward universal health coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
Governance and Structure
The ministry operates under Nepal’s federal government. It is politically led by a cabinet minister and administratively managed by federal secretaries and senior civil servants.
Its principal implementation body is the Department of Health Services, which includes:
- Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.
- Family Welfare Division.
- Management Division.
- Curative Service Division.
- Nursing and Social Security Division.
Other important institutions include:
- National Public Health Laboratory.
- National Tuberculosis Control Centre.
- National Centre for AIDS and STD Control.
- Department of Drug Administration.
- National Health Training Centre.
- Health Emergency Operation Centre.
- Health Insurance Board.
Provincial governments manage provincial health services, while municipalities oversee health posts, primary facilities, outreach clinics, immunization and community-health programs.
Funding and Grants
The ministry is a government institution, not a private grantmaking foundation. It does not normally provide unrestricted grants directly to NGOs or individuals.
Its funding comes from:
- Nepal’s federal budget.
- Provincial and local government health budgets.
- Government conditional health grants.
- International development grants.
- Concessional loans.
- Technical and material assistance from health partners.
Development partners include WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, Gavi, the Global Fund, UNFPA and bilateral development agencies.
The Nepal Quality Health Systems Program is financed through a US$100 million World Bank concessional credit and a US$3.84 million grant. It supports healthcare quality, health insurance and emergency preparedness in Koshi and Gandaki provinces.
The Pandemic Fund-supported SPEED project includes a US$19 million grant, approximately US$4 million in co-financing and US$2 million in co-investment for surveillance, laboratories and pandemic preparedness.
NGOs may access health-related funding through government procurement notices, provincial or municipal opportunities and calls issued by development partners.
Major Programs and Initiatives
National Immunization Program
Nepal’s National Immunization Program protects children against diseases such as polio, tuberculosis, measles, rubella, tetanus, hepatitis B, rotavirus and typhoid.
In 2024, the ministry launched a national measles-rubella campaign targeting approximately 5.7 million children. The program also provided missed routine vaccines to eligible children. WHO reported on the campaign.
Maternal and Child Health
The ministry supports:
- Antenatal and postnatal care.
- Skilled birth attendance.
- Emergency obstetric care.
- Newborn and child healthcare.
- Family planning and reproductive health.
- Nutrition and breastfeeding programs.
- Community health education.
Female Community Health Volunteers help connect households, particularly in rural areas, with basic health information and services.
Disease Prevention and Control
National programs address tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, dengue, kala-azar, lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, rabies and other communicable diseases.
Programs use surveillance, testing, treatment, vaccination, vector control, public education and outbreak response.
Noncommunicable Diseases
The ministry is expanding prevention, screening and treatment for hypertension, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness and mental-health conditions.
The Bagmati–Kavrepalanchok Hypertension Care Cascade Initiative was introduced to improve screening, diagnosis, treatment and patient follow-up at the primary-care level.
Emergency Preparedness
The Health Emergency Operation Centre coordinates health-sector responses to earthquakes, floods, disease outbreaks and other emergencies.
By early 2026, 122 hub and satellite hospitals had prepared disaster and emergency-response plans. Approximately 900 frontline health workers had also received Basic Emergency Care training.
Digital Disease Surveillance
Nepal completed the nationwide rollout of the Surveillance, Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System in 2026.
The system connects all 753 municipalities with provincial and federal health authorities. More than 1,500 Rapid Response Team members were trained to use it for detecting and managing public-health threats.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
Nepal achieved WHO-recognised rubella elimination in August 2025 following decades of vaccination, laboratory development and disease surveillance.
Major achievements include:
- Maintenance of Nepal’s polio-free status.
- Elimination of rubella.
- Revalidation of maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination.
- Introduction of new childhood vaccines.
- Reduction in the number of zero-dose children.
- Expansion of digital disease surveillance nationwide.
- Improved emergency-care and hospital preparedness.
- Progress against lymphatic filariasis and other neglected tropical diseases.
Between 2003 and 2024, the population requiring preventive treatment for lymphatic filariasis fell from approximately 15.8 million to 5.1 million. Mass drug-administration campaigns had stopped in 56 of 64 formerly endemic districts after meeting the required criteria.
The ministry has also led responses to the 2015 earthquake, COVID-19, floods, landslides and the 2023 earthquake in western Nepal.
Conclusion
The Ministry of Health and Population Nepal—now operating under the updated name Ministry of Health and Food Safety—is central to the country’s public-health system.
It develops national policies, regulates healthcare, coordinates disease-control programs and works with provincial and local governments to deliver essential health services. Its major priorities include universal health coverage, immunization, maternal and child health, emergency preparedness, health insurance and disease prevention.
Although it is not a conventional grantmaking organisation, the ministry administers public health budgets and coordinates major externally financed programs. Its work has contributed to rubella elimination, sustained polio-free status, improved emergency readiness and wider access to essential healthcare.
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