Kathmandu, August 25

The Ministry of Health and Population is coming up with guideline for health emergency and disaster management in Nepal.

The guideline will help in overall planning, co-ordination, facilitation, guidance and management, before, during and after a natural disaster.

There are frequently occurring natural disasters such as landslides, floods, earthquakes, fire, droughts, thunderstorms, hot and cold wave and avalanches in Nepal.

To enhance the capacity of stakeholders working in the sector of disaster management the ministry had decided to come up with the guideline, said Chuda Mani Bhandari, chief of Health Emergency and Disaster Management Unit at the Ministry of Health and Population. The guideline will help to cope up with natural disasters.

It will be more helpful in planning, resource mapping and information management in initial hours of disasters. During disaster, it will help in early deployment of manpower for rescue operation and collection of information.

In post-disaster situation it will help in restoration of health care services and for reporting and co-ordination for infrastructure development.

Though all these activities have been done by Health Emergency and Disaster Management Unit at the centre, the guideline will facilitate local authorities to conduct such activities in all provinces.

It will help in explaining what kinds of measures should be taken by a community and health practitioners before, during and after a disaster situation, according to chief of Health Emergency and Disaster Management Unit Chuda Mani Bhandari.

“This guideline will ensure check and balance of training programmers being carried out on emergency services and disaster management. It will be helpful to lessen duplication of similar trainings,” Bhandari said.