Health is Wealth: Health Care Access for Dalit Communities in Nepal

Historically, Dalits have been socially, economically, and politically discriminated against within Nepal. In order to address issues of historical marginalization, the government of Nepal has created health care provisions such as the National Health Sector Program – Implementation Plan II (2010- 2015) that aim to directly mitigate vulnerabilities for marginalized groups as they pertain to health care access. Despite the national efforts to create inclusive health care policies there remains concern regarding health care access for Dalits in the Saptari District of Nepal. This research examines health care access for Dalits in six communities of Saptari, as defined by five dimensions of access: physical access, information access, financial access, discrimination, and social capital. Within the six selected communities, nineteen focus group discussions and nineteen key informant interviews were conducted with a total of 209 participants.