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NCD workshop on meaningful engagement of people living with non-communicable diseases in Nepal: first of its kind

Global ARCH / NCD workshop on meaningful engagement of people living with non-communicable diseases in Nepal: first of its kind

NCD workshop on meaningful engagement of people living with non-communicable diseases in Nepal: first of its kind

by
December 7, 2023

The first-of-its-kind workshop on the meaningful engagement of people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), “Nothing for Us, Without Us: Meaningful Engagement of People Living with NCDs,” was recently held in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was initiated by Global ARCH Board Member Anu Gomanju, an active RHD advocate. The workshop took a year to plan and became a reality in November, 2023, with the collaboration and participation of representatives from the Ministry of Health and Population-Nepal Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), people living with NCDs, the WHO Nepal, the Kathmandu Institute of Child Health (KIOCH), the Nepal NCD Alliance, the Nepal Cancer Survivor’s Society, the Nepal NCD Alliance, and other non-governmental organizations working on NCDs. The one-day workshop brought together people with lived experience and provided them with a platform to share their personal stories of living with NCDs, call for action from policymakers, and discuss key issues facing people living with NCDs (PLWNCDs) to develop a roadmap to NCD intervention around the meaningful engagement of PLWNCDs. Seventy-five people from over 20 organizations associated with people living with NCDs were represented at the workshop, which also saw participation from senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Population-Nepal.

Global ARCH

Nahimeh Jaffar 

Nahimeh Jaffar has worked as a certified Project Manager (PMP) in various fields, including Public Health, Biotech, and Pharmaceuticals, working within clinical settings such as hospitals and clinics. In addition, she worked with global communities in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, supporting various social impact projects. Ms. Jaffar has been involved in preventive health initiatives in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control (CDC, USA) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, USA).

 

Ms. Jaffar holds an MBA in Business Development from the Swiss Institute of Higher Management, Vevey, Switzerland, and a bachelor’s degree in Consumer Affairs from California State University, Northridge, USA.

Amy Verstappen, President

Amy Verstappen has been a patient advocate and health educator since 1996, when her own challenges living with a complex heart defect led her to the Adult Congenital Heart Association, where she served as president from 2001 to 2013. She has served as an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the International Society for Adult Congenital Cardiac Disease, and worked with congenital heart patient and professional groups throughout the USA and the world.  Ms. Verstappen received a Masters in Education in 1990 and a Masters in Global Health in 2019.