Healthcare Supply Chain Resilience for an Ageing Population in Nepal: A Narrative Review
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Abstract
Background: Nepal’s population is ageing quickly. The 2021 census counted 2.97 million people aged 60 and above — 10.2% of the population, up 38.2% from 2011. That shift is putting real pressure on the health system, and the supply chains behind it — medicines, assistive devices, cold-chain products — remain fragile.
Aim: This narrative review pulls together the evidence on healthcare supply chain resilience and asks what it means for older adults in Nepal.
Methods: In this narrative review, searched articles from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and reports from WHO, MoHP, DoHS, and the United Nations, then synthesised the literature narratively around population ageing, supply chains, health system resilience, disaster preparedness, and healthcare access.
Results: Nepal’s healthcare supply chain struggles with difficult terrain, transport problems, procurement delays, fragmented logistics, weak inventory management, workforce shortages, and disaster risk. Older adults feel these problems most, since they depend on uninterrupted medicines and long-term care. Decentralisation and digital initiatives offer some opportunities, but governance, forecasting, and emergency planning still need work.
Conclusion: A resilient supply chain is not optional — it is part of what healthy ageing and universal health coverage actually require in Nepal. Better procurement, logistics, digital systems, emergency planning, and coordination across government levels would meaningfully improve care for older adults.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Chalise HN
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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