Are Health Agencies Designated as Research Centers in Nepal Conducting Adequate Researches ?

BACKGROUND: In Nepal, promoting quality research and enhancing research capacity is being accomplished through Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC). It also plays an authorized body to regulate, monitor and coordinate health research centers by maintaining the highest level of ethical standards. The aim of this study is to explore situation of health agencies designated as research center in Nepal. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study design was used to carry out monitoring and follow up of activities of research centre of all seven provinces of Nepal that had title "Research" in their title name from January 2018 to July 2018. RESULTS: There were only 81 research centers in Nepal and more than half (55 percent) of these have been found in Kathmandu valley, Province 3. Research found that 82.3% so called research centers were just health service provider and 10% of research institute were research based and just 5% have the core objectives of research. Likewise, 30% of research institute were actually involved in health related researches whereas large proportion (70%) of research institute were not involved in any kind of research work. Surprisingly, only 37.5% have taken ethical approval to conduct the designated research. CONCLUSIONS: Only one tenth of the research centers have mentioned research as their core business. However, less than one third of such centers were involved in heath research, and out of which, only 28 percent took ethical permission. Most of the research organizations want to conduct research but they do not have required research skills and competent manpower to carry out research.

Febrile Illness Outbreak Investigation in Sundarharicha-5 Foklan Tapu, Morang District.

BACKGROUND: On the date of 24 July 2017, the major national daily newspaper reported that there were two death cases from an unknown disease in the Morang district, Sundarharicha Municipality 5, Foklan Tapu. A team of researcher and experts were mobilized in the affected area to investigate and identify the etiological and epidemiological causes. METHODS: Both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to conduct the outbreak investigation. 83 blood samples were taken from the patients and microbiological analysis was done at National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu. Similarly, 2 verbal autopsies and 5 Key in-depth interviews were taken from a local community leader, local health service providers, medical officer of Koshi Zonal Hospital, district public health officer and medical director of WHO. RESULTS: Out of 83 participants, 49% and 25% of the participants were positive to IgM and IgG antibodies of Leptospira species respectively. 87% of the participants were exposed to animal living in his/her home (including pets). CONCLUSIONS: An outbreak which was existing during this investigation turned out to be leptospirosis outbreak, whose exposure was consumption of unhealthy meat during social gathering.