Kathmandu, September 3

Nepal has been felicitated by the World Health Organisation for becoming one of the first four countries from the South-East Asia Region to control Hepatitis B.

Ministers of health of six member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region were today felicitated in New Delhi for public health achievements in recent months such as measles elimination, hepatitis B control, and elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.

Sri Lanka was recognised for eliminating measles; Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand for becoming the first four countries from the region to control Hepatitis B, and Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.

The citations for Hepatitis B control were presented to Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Upendra Yadav, Bhutan’s Minister of Health Dechen Wangmo, Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Public Health Sathit Pitutecha, and Additional Secretary, Health Services Division, Bangladesh, Md Saidur Rahman.

Minister of Health of Maldives Abdulla Ameen was presented a citation for eliminating motherto-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis. Maldives is the second country in the region to have achieved this feat after Thailand.

Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka, Rajitha Senaratne, was presented the citation for measles elimination.

Presenting citations to the ministers for their public health achievements at a side event during the 72nd session of WHO Regional Committee of South-East Asia, Regional Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said, “Disease eliminations have always been high on our agenda. When I talk about sustain, accelerate and innovate, ‘accelerate’ is to step up efforts to eliminate diseases like the neglected tropical diseases.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that the public health achievements awards were presented to member countries.