Arghakhanichi district is located in the Lumbini zone (Provice No. 5) in south-central Nepal, about 300 km southwest of Kathmandu It is a mountainous district in the Mahabharat Range and Siwalik Hills. The western and southern areas of Arghakhanichi are populated by remote villages with limited access to health services.
Health care for rural communities in Nepal has always posed a challenge given the long distances to hospitals, the condition of roads and access to transport and the subsistence economy of farmers. With practically no health care in place, people suffer from preventable and curable diseases such as diarrhea, pneumonia and typhoid, becoming deadly when not attended to. Moreover, diseases proliferate and become sanitation problems affecting entire communities. When health care is sought, it is often when sicknesses are well advanced and their care is both complicated and expensive, further deterring people from seeking out professional health services. Additionally, the country´s infrastructure is ill prepared to service rural areas.