Knowledge Management: Nepal Ministry of Health and Population to build Digital Library

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in Nepal will establish a Digital Library system. HealthNet Nepal, with support from MLI, will desgin and host a website and adapt an open-source software package. In addition to the technical support, HealthNet will train members of the MoHP to run and update the site. The Ministry’s efforts to create the Digital Library, led by the Chief of the Health Sector Reform Unit, Dr. Baburam Marasini, will result in a significant collection of historic and current health documents, including key legal documents in both Nepali and English. 

The Memorandum of Understanding to set up the collaboration between the MoHP, HealthNet Nepal and MLI was signed on February 24^th by Dr. Padam Bahadur Chand, Chief of the Policy, Planning and International Cooperation Division in Nepal’s MoHP. 

Last year, MLI facilitated a peer learning teleconference between representatives from the knowledge management teams at the Ministry in Nepal and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Nigeria. The NPHCDA, which had already completed the preliminary steps of developing a system to meet the information needs of national, state and local health care leaders, was able to offer advice and lessons learned to Nepal during their early stages of setting up a knowledge management system. Representatives from Nepal and the NPHCDA remain in regular email contact with one another to exchange information and ideas as both projects are implemented.