Analysis of Health, Disability, Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction Policies in Nepal using a Human Rights-based Approach

Abstract

Background: People with disabilities (PwDs) and women often face difficulties in accessing healthcare and life-saving procedures and are at greater risk of death, injury, and long-term negative impact on their health and well-being at the time of disaster. The public policies in low-resourced countries are rarely analyzed to understand whether those policies include adequately the issues of vulnerable populations to support them during disasters in line with human rights principles. Aim of the study: This study assessed the extent to which the issues of PwDs, women, and girls are incorporated in line with human rights principles in the key policies related to health, disability, gender, and disaster risk reduction in Nepal. Method: A content analysis of selected policies was carried out using EquiFrame, which analyses policies for the inclusion of vulnerable groups based on the Core Concepts of Human Rights. Fifteen policies were analyzed regarding the frequency and quality that included PwDs, women, and girls in the documents. Results: Nepal’s health policy (n=4) covered 52% of the Human Rights Core Concepts, while disability (n=3), gender (n=2), and DRR policy (n=6) covered 46%. The overall qualities of those policies were ranked significantly low, ranging in the quality index from 8 - 28. Conclusion: The policies inadequately incorporated human rights principles for the inclusion of disability and gender and ranked low in terms of quality to address their health needs and rights. To enhance social inclusion and promote equity in health, it is suggested that the human rights approach be followed as guided by the EquiFrame while developing policies.