KATHMANDU, Feb 11: The Government of Nepal has contributed USD 11,000 to the World Health Organization (WHO) for its South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF), a vital funding mechanism designed to help member countries in the region prepare for and respond to health emergencies.
On Monday, the WHO South-East Asia Region expressed gratitude to Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population for the generous contribution of Rs 1.5 million to SEARHEF. The organization hailed it as a reflection of Nepal’s commitment, ownership, and support for SEARHEF, which is managed transparently by WHO for the benefit of member countries in the region.
“WHO thanks Nepal for its contribution to SEARHEF. Nepal has championed the regional health emergency fund at various forums. The country has shown remarkable leadership in enhancing capabilities and responding to emergencies, setting an example for the region and the world,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia, in a letter to Pradip Paudel, Nepal’s Minister for Health and Population.
Nepal is the fourth country, after Thailand, India, and Timor-Leste, to contribute to the expanded corpus of SEARHEF. The contribution comes amid this UN specialized agency facing financial hardship after the Trump administration decided to withdraw all US support to it.
Established in 2007 in response to lessons learned from the Indian Ocean tsunami, SEARHEF was created to finance immediate health sector responses during emergencies, playing a crucial role in saving lives.
Till date, SEARHEF has supported 49 emergencies across 10 countries, disbursing over USD 8 million. In 2016, its scope was expanded to include emergency preparedness, with three countries utilizing the fund to strengthen their Health Emergency Operations Centres and Rapid Response Teams, according to WHO statement.
Given Nepal's vulnerability to natural disasters, the country has previously utilized SEARHEF funds for emergency responses, including the Koshi floods in 2008, the devastating earthquake in 2015, and the recent earthquake in Jajarkot in 2023. These funds facilitated the coordination of health responses, deployment of medical teams, outbreak prevention, and the continuity of essential health services through temporary healthcare facilities.
Recognizing SEARHEF’s crucial role in public health response, member countries at the WHO South-East Asia Region’s annual governing body meeting in October 2024 agreed to increase the fund’s corpus from USD 1 million to USD 3 million.
The regional director reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting member countries in building resilient health systems capable of effectively responding to public health emergencies of any scale.