Maternal mental health screening at Thapathali hospital remains stalled for six months

Mental health problems during pregnancy and after child birth are responsible for six percent of maternal deaths in Nepal and rank as the second leading cause, according to a National Statistics Office report.

A few months ago, a 26-year-old new mother was taken to the Thapathali-based Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital after she stopped breastfeeding her newborn and caring for herself. Her in-laws told the attending doctor that she also cried constantly, had stopped eating properly and remained silent most of the time.