Tehran Times - The World Health Organization (WHO) by receiving a donation from the Government of Japan intensifies its current supports with essential and life-saving medicines, equipment, and health services to more than 160,000 most vulnerable people affected by devastating floods in March and April 2019.

The donation of the Government of Japan that counts for 700,000 U.S. Dollar will assist WHO in providing life-saving medical supplies to existing health facilities, temporary health facilities, and mobile clinics of the country, in addition to strengthening the existing disease surveillance system, and support the establishment of new sentinel reporting sites.

WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) of the Islamic Republic of Iran through the fund will provide vaccines to prevent diseases such as Hepatitis A, cholera and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The donation of Japan will also help to train Rapid Response Teams to effectively prevent, detect and respond to a possible outbreak of epidemic-prone diseases.

Dr. Christoph Hamelmann, WHO Representative in the Islamic Republic of Iran during an official visit to the Embassy of Japan in Tehran appreciated the Just-in-time support of people of Japan when it is urgently needed and said: “the floods have not only damaged homes and infrastructure in the 17 most severely affected provinces but also damaged a significant number of health facilities, many of which are now only partially functional or completely non-functional. This situation leaves patients with limited access to essential and life-saving health services”.

“The support of the Japanese nation to WHO and the Iranian people will contribute effectively to increasing and enhancing health services during this critical time” he added.

H. E. Mr. Mitsugu SAITO, Ambassador of Japan to the Islamic Republic of Iran also reiterated that the government of Japan is looking forward to the successful implementation of the project which will provide support to the emergency and recovery efforts of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In mid-March 2019, floods hit vast parts of Iran, leaving more than 10 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Of these, more than 2 million people are in need of health aid, including 161,000 people who are most vulnerable.

In April 2019, WHO in a rapid emergency response airlifted essential medical supplies to the Islamic Republic of Iran for addressing the growing health needs of thousands of people who had been displaced as a result of heavy flooding in many provinces in the country. The supplies included trauma, health, cholera, and non-communicable disease kits and other commodities requested by the MoHME.