Nepal: UN agency delivers reproductive health services in conflict zones

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched a one-year to deliver reproductive health services to almost 25,000 people impacted by conflict in of Nepal.

Health camps will be set up in six districts in the far-western and mid-western regions of the country, and will provide urgently needed services, including counselling, lab tests, treatment, referral and surgical care.

Funded by the Government of Japan , the project “will address immediate reproductive health needs of women, men and adolescents in both peri-urban and remote areas of conflict-affected districts, while permanent services are being developed,” said Junko Sazaki, UNFPA Representative.

“Bringing reproductive health services to conflict-affected villages and communities will not only improve the health status of the most vulnerable populations, but will also build hope and belief in the overall development, fostering confidence in the peacebuilding process,” she added.

At the scheme’s launch, Japan’s Ambassador to Nepal Tsutomu Hiraoka underscored how the conflict in the mountainous country has aggravated problems regarding rural reproductive health resulting from modestly trained staff, shortages in equipment and drugs, limited support for staff and cultural and geographic barriers.

Not only will patients benefit from the project, but local health service providers will receive training in delivering reproductive health services in crisis settings to bolster their skills.

Through the project, greater access to these health services will contribute to the promotion of human rights and the empowerment of youth and of women. In addition, the scheme targets the achievement of several of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), time-bound targets for slashing poverty and other ills by the year 2015.