This week, the World Health Organization and other partner U.N. agencies are expected to deploy the first set of medical camp kits in the districts hardest hit by Nepal’s recent earthquake.
The kits comprise temporary structures that will reinstate the provision of primary health care services in areas where they are most needed, but where they are disrupted due to the limited number of currently functioning health facilities.
The demand for health care services in Nepal has shot up dramatically following April’s quake. Upwards of 23,000 thousand people were injured and remain in need of emergency to long-term care. The risk of communicable disease outbreaks is also high, compounded by the current lack of basic structures and the onset of the rainy season. But with more than 1,000 health facilities partially damaged or rendered completely unusable by the temblor, the health sector’s capacity to cope has been significantly reduced.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
