2015-06-27 16:12:00

UN says Nepal's damaged healthcare services has put millions of quake survivors at risk


The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the health of the people who survived Nepal's twin earthquakes could be at risk if regular services are not urgently rebuilt and restored in a country where 80 per cent of health facilities in the 14 most affected districts are damaged.

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of WHO's South-East Asia Region, told the International Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction 2015 in the capital, Katmandu on Thursday, that they need to urgently restore regular health services for the millions of affected people, such as pregnant women, newborns, children, the aged, people with diseases such as TB (tuberculosis), heart ailments and diabetes. 

WHO, in a press release, said displaced populations continue to live in temporary shelters with sub-optimal hygiene, sanitation and water conditions.  “They are vulnerable to diseases and health risks in the ongoing rainy season and the approaching winter.” “Many of the affected people – the injured, need long term care or rehabilitation. A large number of people need mental health care to cope with the trauma caused by the calamity.”  WHO said it has been working closely with the Nepali Ministry of Health and Population on the health sector response that has focused on trauma management and temporary reinstatement of the critical health services, and is now transitioning to early recovery and reconstruction.

Nepal on June 25 received pledges of aid worth $4.4 billion for reconstruction after two quakes on April 25 and May 12, killed 8,832 people, injured more than 22,000 and destroyed or damaged half a million homes. But ensuring aid reaches the victims at the grassroots level is a major challenge in a nation where corruption or misuse of foreign aid is rife.  (Source: UN) 








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