Kathmandu, April 6:

The implementation of the updated and revised version of the International Health Regulation IHR), formulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), from June will help fight against various epidemics globally.

Dr Nirakar Man Shrestha, chief specialis t, Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) said, there is a need for global collaborative effort to combat epidemics.

“The government needs to increase the health budget by at least 10 per cent of the total national budget,” he said.

“The government needs to increase the health budget by at least 10 per cent of the total national budget,” said Dr Shrestha.

Currently, the health budget is only 6.41 per cent of the total budget.

The IHR has outlined the necessity to address issues of emerging and rapidly spreading diseases, environmental change, sudden and intense humanitarian emergencies caused by natural disasters, chemical spills or radioactive accidents and the impact of HIV/AIDS, which is threatening the stability of communities in some of the poorest countries in the world.

“Implementation of International Health Regulation will largely benefit countries like Nepal because it will make us much easier to fight against various outbreaks including avian influenza, HIV/AIDS, cholera and others,” said Dr Shrestha.

Meanwhile, the MoHP is organising the Polio Mop-up Programme in six districts — Parsa, Rautahat, Bara, Sarlahi, Makwanpur and Chitwan on April 7 and 8 to mark the World Health Day.

This year the World Health Day 2007, that falls on April 7, is being celebrated with the slogan “Invest in health, build a safer future.”

In a message to the nation on the occasion of the World Health Day, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said it is our responsibility to first build a society free of diseases while building a new Nepal.

Koirala, who is also looking after the Health and Population ministry, said: “Today we are embarking on building a new, prosperous and peaceful Nepal. No one should forget that healthy citizens alone are the means for that big responsibility.”