The World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Nepal on Thursday for a three-day visit at the invitation of Minister for Health and Population Birodh Khatiwada.

“We received him at the Tribhuvan International Airport,” said Dr Roshan Pokhrel, secretary for the Health and Population. “We are happy to welcome the UN health body’s chief to Nepal.”

Tedros came to Nepal after completing a three-day visit to India.

Officials at the Health Ministry said that Tedros is here to perceive the progress in the Covid-19 vaccination and typhoid vaccination drives, which were launched with support from the UN health agency. Both the vaccination drives are being run successfully, said Pokhrel.

The Health Ministry said that Tedros will visit Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, National Public Health Laboratory and a primary health care centre during his stay in Nepal.

Tedros will also pay a courtesy call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka.

Officials at the Health Ministry concede that even though Nepal’s Covid-19 vaccination has been successful so far, the coronavirus pandemic has affected the overall progress made in the healthcare sector. It would take years for the healthcare sector to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

The country is also not positioned to achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goal targets.

The UN health agency has provided technical as well as financial support to Nepal’s health care programmes including vaccination and maternal and child health nutrition, among others.

Officials hope that the UN health body will help assess the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare sector and make recommendations and offer assistance for recovery.