On this occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadkaraj Poudel 'Ganes' has declared 2027 as the 'Nepal Health Year'.
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The International Health Day was celebrated grandly for the first time on Wednesday at the Tundikhel Military Forum in Kathmandu.
This day has been celebrated worldwide after the United Nations gave formal recognition. On the occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadkaraj Poudel 'Ganess' declared the year 2027 as 'Nepal Health Year'.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Dol Prasad Aryal said that health should be established as a global priority by linking it to the entire human life.
He explained health not only as the absence of disease but as a holistic state of physical, mental, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual and environmental balance. He said that health can be the basis of hope for humanity amidst the increasing conflicts, climate crisis and mental stress in the world.
Speaker Aryal said that Nepal can be developed as a major destination for health tourism and said that natural heritage, mountains, culture and spiritual traditions have made Nepal special. He believed that Nepal should be established as a destination that provides high value and deep experience by focusing on quality tourism rather than quantity.
Similarly, Minister Poudel emphasized the need to link health with lifestyle and said that Nepal can show the world the path to peace and spiritual balance. Quoting the World Health Organization data, he mentioned that more than one billion people in the world are affected by mental stress. 'Now Nepal can provide the peace that the world is looking for,' he said.
Stating that the government has adopted a policy to develop health tourism as a 'soft power', Minister Poudel said that the goal is to make Nepal a world center for health tourism under the 100-point action plan. He said that the declaration of the Health Year was made on the basis of that goal. The government aims to link health tourism with sustainable development, cultural preservation and the prosperity of local communities.
At the program, life science expert LP Bhanu Sharma said that a long-term structure is necessary for health promotion. He pointed out the need for the formation of a high-level commission, the creation of a 'wellness circuit', wellness visa and a long-term residence policy to make health tourism systematic.
The ceremony was started with the chanting of mantras by Buddhist nun and singer Ani Choing Dolma. Meditation and yoga sessions were conducted at the event, and the health tourism strategy and logo were unveiled. The United Nations General Assembly, on the proposal of the Government of Nepal, recognized April 15 as 'International Health Day'.
