International Conference on Health Economics December 11-12, 2025
The International Conference on Health Economics, held in Kathmandu on December 11-12, 2025, was successfully concluded under the leadership of the Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA). The event brought together senior government officials, development partners, researchers and global experts to discuss priority issues in health financing and economic evaluation.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of the following: Six-point Kathmandu DeclarationIt outlines commitments to strengthen health economic capacity, promote evidence-based policymaking, strengthen resource mobilization, and foster multi-sectoral collaboration to advance Nepal’s health system.
As delegates to the International Conference on Health Economics, Kathmandu, Nepal, 11-12 December 2025, we, on behalf of governments, health development partners, academic and research institutions, and civil society, jointly agree to the following declaration:
1- Highlighting the need to ensure efficiency and equity in health systems, we call on the Ministry of Health and Population to institutionalize an evidence-based, comprehensive, transparent, fair and nationally appropriate priority-setting process.
2- Recognizing Nepal’s under-resourced health sector and Nepal’s desire to graduate from a low-income country, we continue to advocate for increased investment in the health sector. We call for a proactive strategy that prioritizes expanding fiscal space through effective implementation of health taxes, improving domestic resource mobilization, increasing budget efficiency, and strengthening public financial management.
3- Recognizing that financial risk pooling within and across the health care sector is fragmented, we advocate for the integration and/or harmonization of existing initiatives to improve health system efficiency, strengthen risk pooling, and reduce duplication of efforts.
4- To address the financial challenges faced by households seeking health care, especially for non-communicable diseases, we call for action to strengthen financial risk protection, including expanding coverage of quality health care and prioritizing interventions to reduce poverty caused by health care costs.
5- To encourage the use of health economics evidence in health policy implementation, we highlight the need for stronger collaboration between researchers, policy makers and practitioners to share best practice, promote knowledge exchange and bridge the gap between evidence generation and policy action.
6- Reiterating the urgent need to institutionalize health economics within Nepal’s health system, we call for investment in capacity building of young professionals in health economics research to ensure sustainability and long-term impact.
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