Second Long Term Health Plan

A first Long Term Health Plan (1975 – 1990) was formulated with a calendar of operations for the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Five Year Plans. The main emphasis was the provision of comprehensive basic health services to the majority of the rural population. In the past, plans were not guided by a long-term vision. GoN Ministry of Health has felt the need of having a perspective health plan for the coming 20 years. Preparation of Second Long-Term Health Plan (SLTHP) is an attempt to fill this gap.

SLTHP (1997-2017) was prepared with a participatory approach following a rigorous exercise of information collection, analysis, discussion, dissemination of findings and conclusions in different occasions and settings. Emphasis was given to ensure wider participation from all sectors - the public the private and NGO sectors including the key donor partners working in health and related field. The plan has spelled out the need for redirecting resources from high-cost, low-impact interventions to the low-cost high-impact essential health care services (EHCS), while improving effectiveness and efficiency

Perspective of the Health Plan:

1. Build upon the National Health Policy and guide health sector development in response to changing trends in the society
2. Improve the health status of the population particularly those whose health needs often are not met: 

• the most vulnerable groups, 
• women and children, 
• the rural population, 
• the poor, 
• The underprivileged and the marginalized

   3. Address disparities in health status, assuring equitable access to quality healthcare services with full community participation and gender sensitivity

  4. To provide technically competent and socially responsible health personnel in appropriate number for quality health care throughout the country, particularly in under-served areas

    5.  To improve inter and intrasectoral co-ordination

    6. To provide necessary support for effective decentralization of healthcare

Uses of SLTLP:

• As a resource document to guide GON in funding and to avail donor assistance in areas of greatest need
• To avoid duplication
• To assure effective use of public, private, NGO, community and donor resources

Targets for the period of the Second Long Term Health Plan 

By the end of the Second Long Term Health Plan, the following targets will be achieved: 

1. Infant Mortality Rate will be reduced to 34.4 per thousand live births from its present level of 74.7. 
2. Under-five mortality rate will be reduced to 62.5 per thousand from its present level of 118; 
3. Total Fertility rate will be reduced to 3.05 from its present level of 4.58; 
4. Life expectancy in years will be increased to 68.7 from its present level of 56.1; 
5. Crude birth rate will be reduced to 26.6 per thousand from its present level of 35.4; 
6. Crude death rate will be reduced to 6 per thousand from its present level of 11.5; 
7. Maternal Mortality Ratio will be reduced to 250 per hundred thousand births from its present level of 475; 
8. Contraceptive Prevalence Rate will be increased to 58.2 percent from its present level of 30.1; 
9. Percentage of deliveries attended by trained personnel will be increased to 95% from its present level of 31.5; 
10. Percentage of newborns weighing less than 2500 grams will be reduced to 12 percent; 
11. Essential Health Care Services at the District will be available to 90 percent of the population living within 30 minutes travel time.