Continuing the series of high-profile meetings, Minister for Health and Population Girirajmani Pokhrel met with chairman of the Nippon Foundation and goodwill ambassador of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Leprosy Control, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Thursday in Geneva on the sidelines of the 60th World Health Assembly.

During the meeting Minister Pokhrel explained the historic political change in Nepal and ongoing peace building process and stated that Government of Nepal considered health issues directly linked to peace and prosperity of the country, a statement issued by Nepalese Mission in Geneva said.

Minister Pokharel is in the Swiss capital heading the Nepalese delegation to it.

Pokhrel, on behalf of the Nepalese government, also thanked the Nippon Foundation for its constituted cooperation for leprosy control and expressed hope that the foundation will consider assisting Nepal in other equally important sectors and commitment to controlling the spread of leprosy in Nepal.

Thanking Minister Pokhrel for inviting him to visit Nepal to workout his plan in leprosy control in coordination with the government, Nippon Foundation’s chairman Sasakawa expressed his personal as well as institutional commitment to help Nepal control leprosy.

According to government statistics, leprosy is still prevalent in 6 in 10,000 of the country’s population. Wide spread poverty, ignorance and illiteracy in especially rural parts of Nepal is said to be a major hindrance for the effective control and treatment of leprosy.