Is Health Promotion the Starting Point of Primary Cardiovascular Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Like Nepal?

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are on the rise in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but have not received adequate priority. With a lack of concrete policy and programs, the present emphasis of CVD management in most LMICs is on curative aspects. Nepal is a prototype in this trend as it is treatment centric, particularly in urban areas. A major drawback of cure-centrism is that it requires both larger funds and more skilled manpower--both of which are limited in Nepal and other LMICs. AIMS: In this article, the authors suggest a possible role of health promotion as starting point for tackling the rising burden of CVDs in LMICs with Nepal as example. CONCLUSIONS: Health promotion is practiced in Nepal in connection with many health care programs and could be used to include CVD preventive strategies. The authors believe this to be a first step to increase health literacy toward CVD in the general population which may help bridge limited funds and manpower that the current curative-centric CVD strategy requires. Thus, health promotion strategies should be a tempting option for many LMICs and deserve further explorative attention.