There is good news and bad news for Nepalis above the age of 35, which is when heart ailments start to strike. The good news is that Nepal now has 40 cardiologists compared to only 15 five years ago. The number of cardiac surgeons has more than doubled in this time, from four to ten. The increase in the number of heart specialists has been accompanied by an increase in facilities that offer treatment for people with heart disease-there are now ten cardiac intensive care units instead of just two, and the number of diagnostic centres with advanced ECG services has increased to 25.

The bad news is, we need this. There has been a 100 percent increase in the incidence of hypertension and cardiac disease in the last five years.