Following the devastating floods in Nepal, health workers have continued serving their communities despite facing personal loss, displacement and uncertainty. WHO Nepal reports that prolonged pressure and long working hours without adequate support can harm health workers' own mental health and psychosocial well-being, affecting their ability to deliver essential care.
At Trishuli Hospital in Nuwakot, operating-theatre nurse inspector Charu Thapa Magar stayed on duty for 16 days after the Trishuli River flooded — even though her own home was swept away and a junior colleague remains missing. Laboratory technician Krishna Rijal escaped the flood by motorbike, then helped set up a temporary public health office while his family was evacuated to Kathmandu. Immunization officer Amrit Maharjan, whose house was destroyed, has been sleeping in his office while supporting vaccination campaigns.
Medical officer Dr Shitanshu Dhakal, who had joined Trishuli Hospital only a month before the flood, describes nights spent running uphill with patients after rumours of another flood, and calls for psychological first aid and sustained mental health support for frontline workers themselves.
Nearly two months after the floodwaters receded, many responders still feel the impact. The Government of Nepal, with support from WHO and partners, is providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in flood-affected areas and working to embed that support across the broader recovery, so that those who care for others also receive the care they need. (Source: WHO Nepal feature story, 15 October 2026.)