It has become a custom citing development reports, which show
remarkable progress in some of the health indicators, to signify
the higher quality of life achieved over the years. The human
development datasets, for instance, present impressive progress
in terms of decreased mortality, increased life expectancy, higher
literacy and falling poverty which is synonymous to a higher
standard of living. With the amazing success in medical science,
advancement in therapy and surgery, and prevention and control
over some of the dangerous diseases, we are bound to believe that
we have achieved much, and there is no question whether the overall
health condition has been worsened in the last few decades. The
real life experience of local people, however, challenges this fact
and compels us to reflect on “are we really healthy than before?”
Drawing from a qualitative study conducted in a district of midwestern
Nepal, this paper presents people’s narratives to deepen our
understanding of how people in an urbanizing village experience
health. The paper recognizes the deteriorating health experience of
the people which has primarily resulted from a loss of local health
traditions exacerbated by the current change and development.