With 62 months left to deliver on #endTB and #endAIDS goals, SAARC TB and HIV/AIDS Centre making a difference

Will Nepal's leadership on health spur more action on SDG-3 globally?

Nepal has demonstrated commendable progress on a range of health indices, despite myriads of challenges. Nepal is among the least developed countries currently, but due to its sustained and growing progress on a range of sustainable development indices, it is all set to do away with this tag in 2026.

Celebrating those who courageously stand with public health and human rights despite tobacco industry interference

photo courtesy: HealthTVonline.com

Before world leaders meet at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025 at the High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it is important to underline that the major common risk factor of most NCDs is tobacco and nicotine use. Tobacco is also a major risk factor for deadliest infectious disease TB (and COVID-19). Unless we decimate (or eliminate) such risk factors, how will we deliver on the promises enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030?

Nepal leads the world with largest pictorial health warnings on all tobacco products

Pictorial health warnings on all tobacco products are a proven and cost-effective way to prevent tobacco use among children and young people, encourage tobacco users to quit and increase awareness of deadly diseases caused by tobacco. That is why size and pictorial graphics matter because pictures say a thousand words. Nepal government decided this week to go for the largest pictorial health warnings globally on all tobacco products (100% on the front and 100% on the back packaging).

Decades of failure to end TB and tobacco use

Despite strong scientific and community-based evidence to support tobacco and TB control, 1.1 million people died of TB in 2023 and over 8 million died of tobacco use in the same year. “Tobacco is an entirely preventable epidemic,” rightly said Dr Tara Singh Bam who is a force for change when it comes to stronger actions to prevent avoidable diseases and save lives in low- and middle-income countries.

No one is safe from drug-resistant microbes until everyone is safe

"No one is safe until everyone is safe," said Dr Umesh Dahal, Director General, Department of Livestock Services, Government of Nepal. He was referring to antimicrobial resistance or drug resistance when microbes (such as bacteria, virus, fungi or parasites) stop responding to medicines – which makes diseases difficult (or impossible) to treat.

No one is immune to antimicrobial resistance

"Even the healthiest amongst us could face a life-threatening situation through a minor injury, routine surgery, or common lung infection, if antimicrobials fail,” said Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Nepal. “For those with pre-existing conditions like cancers, HIV, or diabetes, an untreatable infection can become an unexpected and deadly adversary.”

South Asia regional media workshop to combat AMR to take place in Kathmandu

Health TV Online, Nepal

Health TV Online, Kathmandu- Nepal is gearing up to host the first South Asia Regional Media Workshop to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on August 7th in Kathmandu. Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the foremost global public health and development threats, AMR poses significant risks to the South Asia region.

If some countries in Asia Pacific can be on track to end AIDS then why cannot all?

Not just richer nations like New Zealand are meeting some of the 2025 HIV-related targets but also low- and middle-income countries like Nepal, Cambodia and Thailand in Asia and the Pacific region.

[podcast] Ending inequity is imperative to end TB and deliver on #HealthForAll

This podcast features Sumit Mitra, a thought leader on reaching the unreached with best of evidence-based diagnostics and health services, and President of Molbio Diagnostics (makers of Truenat). He is speaking at the World Social Forum (WSF 2024) in Kathmandu, Nepal, in a session entitled "Ending inequity is imperative if we are to end TB and deliver on health for all." This WSF 2024 session is being held in Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, iVoox, and other podcast streaming platforms.

Journey of a TB survivor from pain to strength

⭐ Watch the interview on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram

Immortal words of Leonard Cohen, “there is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in,” best sum up the transformative journey from pain to strength of Binika Shrestha, a native of Hetauda in Nepal. Binika shared the travails of the long path she trod- from being diagnosed with TB, going through the TB treatment, fighting the side effects of medicines as well as the haunting and daunting stigma, to eventually getting cured, and then, a few years later becoming a district TB officer herself.

[video] When problem (TB) is in grassroots and communities, then why are programmes not centred there?

[podcast] Changemakers: Yuvraj Lama of Nepal | Asia Youth Festival on Innovation for SRHR

This podcast features changemaker Yuvraj Lama of Nepal, who is among the changemakers featured at the 2022 Asia Youth Festival on Innovation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - hosted by Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW, https://arrow.org.my). He is in conversation with noted journalist and development communication expert Sumita Thapar of CNS.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

[video] Changemakers: Yuvraj Lama of Nepal | Asia Youth Festival on Innovation for SRHR

[video] Role of media as one of key cogs-in-the-wheels for development justice and democracy: Kalpana Acharya

[video] Media is a key cog-in-the-wheel for development justice and democracy | Speaker: Kalpana Acharya

[video] Only 2 ways to reduce tobacco use: prevent young people to begin tobacco use & help users to quit!

Exposed: Wolf in sheep's clothing - tobacco industry’s greenwashing attempts thwarted

At a time when the entire world is reeling under a severe public health emergency, the tobacco industry is not leaving any stone unturned to protect and expand its markets of products that are proven to cause deadly diseases and greenwash its dirty image (as it has blood on its hands of over 8 million deaths every year attributed to tobacco use). More alarmingly, tobacco is a major risk factor for several health conditions that increase the risk of serious outcomes if one gets infected with corona virus, including death. And let us not forget that even before the Covid-19 pandemic, tobacco-caused diseases were of epidemic proportions and causing completely avoidable human suffering and untimely deaths.

#SDGtalks on "border-free south Asia" featured Sandeep Pandey & Kanak Mani Dixit

On 4th June (9pm to 10:30pm India time), the Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) series, co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, featured keynote speakers, Prof Dr Sandeep Pandey and Kanak Mani Dixit who shared their insights on "border-free south Asia" and "civil liberties".

watch the recording | listen to podcast

[podcast] Border-free south Asia

This Podcast on "border-free South Asia" and "civil liberties" featured two keynote speakers: Prof Dr Sandeep Pandey (India) and Kanak Mani Dixit (Nepal). Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) series is co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore.
Be welcome to listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, and other podcast streaming platforms.