Kathmandu Metropolitan City to Launch "Little Doctor" Program in Schools

Kathmandu: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City is set to launch the "Little Doctor" program in schools to promote preventive health education among children. Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol announced that the program will initially be implemented as a pilot project in four community schools.

Acting Mayor Dangol mentioned that this method is suitable for increasing health awareness and fostering peer-to-peer learning among children. She stated, "When introducing programs to schools, they should not be implemented in a way that feels like a burden to those executing them. We must create a sense of readiness and necessity for implementation. Only then will the program be sustainable and effective. While results may take time to appear, they will be positive." 

She further added, "After succeeding in community schools, the program should be expanded to institutional schools as well."

The "Little Doctor" program aims to train students on health issues and develop them into health ambassadors. The goal of the program is to increase health awareness for the students themselves, their families, and the community. Dr. Diwash Neupane, a medical officer at the Health Department, said, "This program provides training in five key areas: personal hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, lifestyle and non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance, first aid and safety, and mental health and leadership."

Peer-to-peer learning, practical exercises, role-playing, recording, and monitoring are the primary learning methods. Following three months of curriculum-based training, students will be allowed to conduct group-based preventive health promotion programs for the remaining nine months. Each health club will consist of 15 to 20 students.