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Kathmandu<\/strong> \u2013 Affordable and inclusive health services targeting the sexual and gender minority (LGBTI) community are set to begin in Thapathali, Kathmandu. This special program is being launched through a collaboration between Mayako Pahichan Nepal<\/em> and Ek Ek Paila Community Health Institution<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the Ek Ek Paila<\/em> center, located in front of the Nepal Rastra Bank office in Thapathali, members of the LGBTI community will now be able to access sexual and reproductive health services at minimal cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to the launch, discussions were held between representatives of Mayako Pahichan Nepal and Ek Ek Paila Community Health Center regarding the service delivery model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the organizers, general consultation fees have been set at NPR 150, and specialist consultations at NPR 300. Additionally, services such as STD treatment, HIV testing, and sexual health screening will be available at highly affordable rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This initiative has been advanced through the efforts of Constituent Assembly member and Executive Director of Mayako Pahichan Nepal, Sunil Babu Pant<\/strong>, and Numa Limbu (Chanchala)<\/strong>, Executive Director of Lead Nepal<\/em> and a transgender human rights activist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chanchala noted that the LGBTI community faces a high risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. \u201cHowever, due to stigma, discrimination, and social prejudice, they are often unable to access health services,\u201d she said. \u201cThis program was necessary to bring services within their reach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before services officially begin, a one-day orientation will be held next Wednesday to train healthcare providers on how to treat LGBTI individuals with sensitivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To facilitate access, Mayako Pahichan Nepal will assign two focal persons at the clinic. Special arrangements are also being made for patients who cannot afford to pay service fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previously, 20 clinics dedicated to the LGBTI community had been operated with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). However, funding was halted after the beginning of President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, leading to the closure of those clinics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Manindra Singh Danuwar<\/strong>, winner of Mr. Gay Handsome 2017, remarked, \u201cHIV testing and STI screening can be done in the first phase. There should also be a referral system in place for complex cases to be sent to government hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To fill that gap, Mayako Pahichan Nepal has partnered with Ek Ek Paila using local resources and volunteer efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ek Ek Paila<\/em> was established after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Initially, it provided free monthly health camps in quake-affected areas. Formed without foreign aid, the institution was based on the idea of \u201cNepalis helping Nepalis.\u201d It continues to run free health camps in remote mountain villages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chief physician Dr. Suman Thapa<\/strong> explained that while their service is slightly more expensive than government facilities, it is significantly cheaper than private clinics. \u201cWe are proud to offer friendly and accessible services to the LGBTI community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Sajani Dangol<\/strong> added, \u201cOur services are based on values of inclusion and equality. We ensure everyone\u2019s privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Dr. Rabia Manandhar<\/strong>, dental services will also be available along with sexual and reproductive health services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashok Pandey<\/strong> of Ek Ek Paila stated that services specifically for the LGBTI community will be provided two days a week. He expressed enthusiasm about receiving orientation training and learning the necessary skills to better serve LGBTI patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kathmandu \u2013 Affordable and inclusive health services targeting the sexual and gender minority (LGBTI) community are set to begin in Thapathali, Kathmandu. This special program is being launched through a collaboration between Mayako Pahichan Nepal and Ek Ek Paila Community Health Institution. At the Ek Ek Paila center, located in front of the Nepal Rastra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,28,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bagmati-province","category-health","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=171"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.margadarsannews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}