WHO prepares to tackle possible disease outbreak in quake-hit Nepal

New Delhi: With the monsoon season looming, the World Health Organization (WHO) is working towards managing the possibility of the outbreak of diseases in earthquake-hit Nepal.

The WHO has pressed into action, providing primary medical aid and assistance, with the country's medical infrastructure completely damaged.

The organisation is coordinating with various medical teams, who are providing medical emergencies in the affected areas. It has its own team of 130 medical experts to provide the primary health services.

World Health Organisation lead emergency response Dr. Roderico Ofrin confirmed that his team had been planning for the rainy season ever since the earthquake had hit the Himalayan nation.

Health services still remain the main challenge in quake-affected Nepal as many of the hospitals and primary health centres were destroyed during the earthquake.

The WHO also praised the Nepal government and neighbouring India for acting swiftly in providing relief to the affected people.

The WHO partnered with international medical teams and NGOs are working together and are providing logistic support by setting up facilities and primary health care centres in Nepal. It has provided 46 tonnes of medical supplies and equipments, needed by the country to support the destroyed health facilities.

"As of now, the government has done a great job in terms of planning of recovery. Of course, it is so easy to say that it's a plan but it is a plan that needs a lot of resources from other countries," said Dr. Ofrin.

Nepal's economy is based on tourism, which has been affected because of the large scale destruction of monuments, including centuries-old temples, monasteries and palaces listed as world heritage sites by UNESCO.

The Nepal government is working to reconstruct the damaged infrastructure with the assistance of international community.

The WHO and the Nepal Health ministry is accessing the health care facility by developing preparedness plans conducting drills and trainings, prepositioning medicines and setting emergency operations centres.