The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) serves as a platform that brings together local governments, health workers, and community representatives to guide the HRIDAYA project, which aims to improve the prevention, screening, referral, and follow-up of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes. Its main objectives are to provide expert guidance on practical screening and referral strategies, ensure local ownership, and strengthen collaboration for sustainable NCD care. From the TAC discussions in Kageshwori Manohara and Changunarayan, we learned the importance of combining trained health workers with Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs), strengthening confirmatory testing and referral pathways, using digital tools for tracking and follow-up, and mobilizing municipal resources to make essential diagnostics more accessible insights that are helping us shape an inclusive and sustainable model for community-based NCD care.
The HRIDAYA project recently conducted a Consumer Advisory Committee meeting to share updates and gather feedback from consumer representatives in Kageshwori Manohara and Changunarayan Municipality respectively facilitated by Ms. Sunita Dhungel (Sr. PO ) and Mr. Nishchal Thapa (PO). The session focused on reviewing progress in community based screening, referral and follow-up services for hypertension and diabetes. Participants discussed thier experiences in accessing these services, highlighted existing barriers and provided suggestions for improving community level implementation.