Populations affected by armed conflict experience severe public health consequences mediated by population displacement, food scarcity, and the collapse of basic health services, which together often give rise to complex humanitarian emergencies. Epidemiological studies indicate that war ranks among the top-ten causes of death worldwide. Violent conflicts pose a challenge to human civilisations, human health and health systems. A nationwide large-scale empirical study is needed to further assess the determinants of Nepal's success in the health sector at a time the country experienced a decade of armed conflict. The lessons learnt from Nepal could be replicable elsewhere in conflict and post-conflict environments.

Our analysis suggests a number of conflict and non-conflict factors which may have led to this success. The data show Nepal has made progress in 16 out of 19 health indicators which are part of the Millennium Development Goals whilst three indicators have remained static. MethodsĪ secondary analysis has been conducted of two demographic health surveys-Nepal Family Health Survey (NFHS) 1996 and Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2006 the latter was supplemented by a study carried out by the Nepal Health Research Council in 2006. This study reviews Nepal's key health indicators before and after the violent conflict and explores the possible factors facilitating the progress.

However, systematic information to support or reject this claim is scant.

In contrast to this, sporadic data in Nepal claim improvements in most of the health indicators during the decade-long armed conflict (1996-2006). There is abundance of literature on adverse effects of conflict on the health of the population.

Armed conflicts articles