WHO Releases $150,000 for Nepal Flood Health Response

WHO said the funds come from the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund, known as SEARHEF, and will be used to support urgent health and other needs in communities affected by the floods. Dr Nilesh Buddha, the officer-in-charge of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, said the funding would support immediate response priorities as Nepal moves through response and recovery.

The health impact extends beyond the initial injuries and displacement. WHO said national authorities had reported more than 730 deaths, nearly 2,500 people missing and more than 200 injuries at the time of its release. The agency said around 10,000 households needed immediate relief across six districts in Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.

Within hours of the flooding, WHO said it dispatched an Interagency Emergency Health Kit designed to meet the health needs of nearly 10,000 people for three months, together with multipurpose tents. It later sent surgical masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and other medical supplies based on urgent needs in affected areas.

According to WHO, damaged roads have limited access to hospitals in Dhading and Trishuli, while health facilities in Rasuwa and Dhading have also been affected. The agency said it is working with Nepal’s government and partners to maintain essential health services, strengthen disease surveillance and address health risks that can follow flooding.

Those risks include injuries, diarrhoeal and respiratory illness, water- and food-borne disease, vector-borne disease, and mental-health needs. WHO’s update does not present the emergency funding as a full recovery package; it identifies it as rapid support while assessments and coordination continue.

The report is based on WHO’s 30 August 2026 release, which cites the latest information available from Nepal’s national authorities. Readers should follow the government of Nepal and WHO for updated casualty figures, access conditions and public-health guidance.