Sexual and reproductive health status among young peoples in Nepal: opportunities and barriers for sexual health education and services utilization.

This article attempts to summarise the situation of sexual and reproductive health among young people in Nepal. Modernisation and social transformation are occurring rapidly in Nepalese society. Growing expansion of communication and transportation networks, urbanisation and in-migration of population to urban areas is creating a different socio-cultural environment, which is conducive to more social interactions between young girls and boys in Nepal. Rising age at marriage has now opened a window of opportunity for pre-marital and unsafe sexual activity among young people in Nepal which creates risks of unwanted pregnancy, STIs/HIV and AIDS. Several socio-economic, demographic and cultural factors have been identified as encouraging factors for risk taking behaviours among young people. Improving access to youth friendly services, implementing peer education programmes for school and out of school going adolescents, developing effective Information, Communication and Education (IEC) materials and curricula have been highly suggested to improve the existing young people's sexual and reproductive health status.

Major problems and key issues in Maternal Health in Nepal.

This paper highlights some of the challenges facing maternal health in Nepal and to suggest possible solutions for improvements. Key literature from across the globe is reviewed and discussed in a Nepalese context. Maternal mortality remains one of the biggest public health problems in Nepal. Lack of access to basic maternal healthcare, difficult geographical terrain, poorly developed transportation and communication systems, poverty, illiteracy, women's low status in the society, political conflict, shortage of health care professional and under utilization of currently available services are major challenges to improving maternal health in Nepal. In order to effect real improvements in maternal health, attention needs to be focused both on biomedical and social interventions. Improving health facilities, mother's nutrition, women's position in the society such as freedom of movement, providing education to female children, integrating Traditional Birth Attendants into local health services can play a vital role in the improvement of mothers' health.