Browsing by Author "Ghimire, Namita"
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Publication Capacity Building at Nepal Health Research Council for Ethical Research(Nepal Health Research Council, 2024) Adhikari, Ramesh Kant; Ghimire, Namita; Joshi, PramodNAPublication Compliance with the Legal Provision of Tobacco Products in Nepal Authors(Nepal Health Research Council, 2024) Dhimal, Meghnath; Khatri, Bishal Dahal; Basnet, Man Bahadur; Ghimire, Sailaja; Ghimire, Namita; Acharya, Astha; Rana, Nisha; Joshi, PramodBackground: The tobacco epidemic is one of the major threats to public health, causing nearly 8 million deaths annually worldwide. In Nepal, every year, several Nepalese people die from tobacco-related diseases illnesses. Despite the implementation of several policies and strategies, tobacco use remains prevalent. This study, thus, aims to assess compliance with the legal provisions regulating tobacco products in Kathmandu Valley. Methods: A multimethod study design was adopted to explore compliance with the legal provision of tobacco products in the Kathmandu Valley. Three hundred and five public places within the Kathmandu Valley were observed using the observation checklist, and fourteen key informant interviews were conducted. The ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Board of the Nepal Health Research Council. Results: Our findings show that the average adherence to the Tobacco Product Control Act in the Kathmandu Valley was merely 33.1%. Public transportation exhibited highest compliance 53.2%, whereas eateries demonstrated the lowest compliance at 15.9%. Health organizations demonstrated the highest adherence to prohibiting indoor smoking (94.7%), although the presence of “No Smoking” signage was inadequate, varying from 1.9% to 22.7% across various locations. Conclusions: In conclusion, compliance with the legal provision of tobacco products was observed owing to limited knowledge of stakeholders, inadequate multi-sectoral coordination, and lack of monitoring mechanisms in public areas. Whereas awareness initiatives through diverse communication channels are found effective in improving compliance. Keywords: Compliance; legal provision; Nepal; public places; tobacco products.Publication Ethical Approval in Nepal: Barriers or Facilitators?(Nepal Health Research Council, 2024) Ghimire, Namita; Pandey, Sony; Joshi, Pramod; Adhikari, Ramesh KantAny research involving human participants requires review and approval from an authorized research ethics committee to safeguard participant's rights, dignity and welfare while ensuring the scientific validity of the research. Ethical approval is mandatory before initiating or ecruiting study participants. It is also a prerequisite for publishing research findings in scientific journals contributing to ensuring the quality of scientific knowledge. The ethical review process focuses on the assessment of potential risks to the participants as well as the research team focusing on how such risks are identified, minimized and managed. This paper provides an overview of the Nepal Health Research Council's ethical review and approval process for both national and international researchers intending to conduct health research in Nepal. Despite this, the Nepalese ethics committee and researcher face several challenges, including limited awareness of responsible conduct of research, limited training opportunities, unclear clinical trial guidelines, bureaucratic hurdles, and frequent staff turnover in research governance. This paper highlights these challenges and aims to support both researchers and the Ethics Committee in promoting the responsible conduct of health research in Nepal. Keywords: Ethical issues; ethical review and approval; Nepal and research.Publication Lessons Learned from the Design and Implementation of the Tuberculosis Free Nepal Initiative(Nepal Medical Association, 2025) Shrestha, Prajowl; Mishra, Gokul; Khanal, Mukti Nath; Shah, Naveen Prakash; Dahal, Deepak; Thapa, Barsha; Joshi, Lok Raj; Ghimire, Namita; Wingfield, TomAbstract Introduction: Nepal has a persistently high burden of tuberculosis. Despite implementation of multiple interventions by the National tuberculosis Program, Nepal is not on track to achieve many of WHO’s End tuberculosis Strategy targets. Method: The National tuberculosis Control Centre developed a Google Sheet with key indicators to monitor the tuberculosis -Free Initiative across municipalities. Focal points recorded real-time data, ensuring transparency. National tuberculosis Control Centre compiled, analyzed, and interpreted the data to track progress, evaluate program outcomes, and support future planning. Results: The tuberculosis-Free Initiative achieved significant results in implementing municipalities. A total of 112 END TUBERCULOSIS Committees were formed at the municipal level, with over 1,000 ward-level committees engaged in tuberculosis microplanning. More than 56% of municipalities mobilized community-led monitoring groups, and 16 municipalities conducted annual social audits. tuberculosis-Free Volunteers facilitated screening in 53 municipalities. In 2023, innovative case-finding methods contributed significantly. The sputum courier system identified 1,790 Pulmonary bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis cases, 554 cases were diagnosed via screening camps and door-to-door visits, and 222 cases through Primary healthcare centre Outreach Clinics. Additionally, 23 patient support groups, 32 youth groups, and 32 civil society organizations were mobilized, strengthening community participation. These efforts highlight the tuberculosis-Free Initiative’s impact on enhancing case detection, community engagement, and tuberculosis control strategies. Conclusion: Developing local level ownership and accountability in the national tuberculosis response, ensuring high quality implementation through robust monitoring and evaluation, and generating and sustaining local resources, requires strong government leadership, advocacy, and capacity building. Within the implementing teams by the stakeholders, frequent initiative reviews, coaching, and mentoring support.Publication Status of Research Funding in Nepal: A Scoping Review(Nepal Medical Association, 2024) Sharma, Mohan Raj; Tuladhar, Sugat Rana; Adhikari, Abhishek; Khadga, Akriti; Singh, Shreejana; Ghimire, NamitaAbstract With the rapid advancement of health delivery, there has been a renewed interest in conducting research among healthcare professionals in Nepal. However, concern is there regarding availability of funds and mechanisms of awarding. The purpose of this scoping review is to map the available evidence regarding the evolution and current status of health research funding in Nepal and to highlight gaps and areas for future research. We searched three databases for empirical papers and several gray literature. Our search, conducted between March and April 2024 yielded 76 documents of which 30 that met the selection criteria were included in the scoping review. Almost all studies identified lack of funding as a deterrent to research. We found a paucity of research focusing on the role of researchers in funding decision-making. Our findings revealed that there are 12 national and four international organizations providing funds for research. University Grant Commission is the largest funder from Nepal whereas the Research Council of Norway is the biggest international funder. There were certain barriers and facilitators for obtaining funds identified by this scoping review. Further efforts are needed to increase the amount and availability of funds in Nepal to enable high-quality research.Publication World Health Organization Tool for Benchmarking Ethics Oversight of Health-Related Research with Human Participants(Nepal Medical Association, 2024) Ghimire, Namita; Basnet, Rojina; Acharya, Richa; Adhikari, Santoshi; Verma,Shashi; Sharma, Mohan RajAbstract Benchmarking ethics oversight is a process of aligning comparing and evaluating the strengths and room for improvement of ethical review and approval process across different institutions or the country. The World Health Organization tool for benchmarking ethics oversight is designed to help countries assess and improve their systems for ethically overseeing health-related research involving human participants. It identifies gaps in legal frameworks, committee structures, resources, accountability and transparency while promoting best practices and policy alignment. Nepal has made progress through the research regulations body like the Nepal Health Research Council , but challenges such as inconsistent implementation, oversight of the implementation and resource limitations remain. The tool offers an opportunity to strengthen Nepal’s health research governance and regulation but it must be adapted to fit local contexts, emphasizing accountability, transparency, capacity-building, and improved communication.