Community First Health Responders trained

Kathmandu, Bagmati province - The National Health Training Centre (NHTC), Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), and WHO Country Office for Nepal, initiated a pilot training programme to equip health responders with essential first aid and emergency response skills, ensuring that those who are often the first on the scene of an emergency can provide immediate, life-saving care and coordinate with existing health service provision for smooth transfer of patients from incident site to hospital. This training also increases awareness on how to contribute to early detection of potential outbreaks. Using the Learning Resource Package developed this year, the three-day training engaged 24 security personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army, Traffic Police and Municipal Police – key frontline responders during emergencies. This initiative, the first of its kind aimed at the general public (non-health professionals) by the MoHP, empowered them to stabilize victims, administer first aid and ensure safe transportation to medical facilities. Aligned with WHO’s global framework for health emergency preparedness, the programme emphasizes community resilience to enhance their ability to provide pre-hospital care during disasters and contribute to public health emergency detection. WHO remains committed to expanding such initiatives to build a skilled workforce capable of saving lives and improving health emergency outcomes. The initiative is supported by the European Commission.