Kathmandu, Bagmati Province – Nepal has taken a major step forward in advancing public health and health security infrastructure with the launch of a National Essential In-vitro Diagnostics List (NEIDL) and the handover of quality critical laboratory equipment and reagents — supported by WHO through The Pandemic Fund — at a high-level event held on 8 May 2025.
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The high-level event held at the National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu, to launch the National Essential In-vitro Diagnostics List and hand over critical laboratory equipment and reagents. Photo credit: WHO/S.G.Amatya
The event, held at the premises of National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), under the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), was chaired by the Honorable Minister of Health and Population Mr Pradip Paudel and attended by high-level MoHP officials.
Nepal is now the third country globally to adopt the NEIDL, aligned with the WHO’s Essential Diagnostics List. Developed by the NPHL, the NEIDL is designed to expand access to quality and timely diagnostic services at federal, provincial and local health facilities.
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The NEIDL outlines a core set of essential diagnostic tests needed to detect and manage both communicable and noncommunicable diseases, supporting Nepal’s efforts toward Universal Health Coverage. It promotes cost-effective strategies, such as targeted training, and helps reduce out-of-pocket spending by improving public sector diagnostic services availability and efficiency.
Aligned with Nepal’s Public Health Service Act 2075 (2018) and National Health Policy 2076, the NEIDL also provides a structured framework for consistent diagnostic testing across the health-care system.
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During the event, WHO Country Office for Nepal handed over a Class III Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) and two sets of BSC calibration equipment to the NPHL, strengthening Nepal’s infrastructure for the early detection of disease outbreaks.
The high-containment facility, compliant with the latest WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual (4th Edition), is designed to safely manage high-risk biological specimens while enhancing diagnostic capacity and protecting health-care workers. The facility, located within NPHL premises, was officially inaugurated by Minister Paudel to mark its operationalization.
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Left image: Dr Ranjan Raj Bhatta, Director of the National Public Health Laboratory (left), giving a tour of the high-containment facility to Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal, and Minister of Health and Population, Mr Pradip Paudel. Right image: Laboratory techicians demonstrating the operations of the high-containment unit. Photo credit: WHO/S.G.Amatya
The BSC installation further ensures the highest level of protection for personnel, the environment, and samples when working with hazardous biological agents at the NPHL laboratory and was made possible with co-financing from the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) funds.
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This support will expand access to culture facilities at the subnational level for detecting causative agents and identifying effective antibiotics against these pathogens, while also strengthening provincial and national AMR surveillance and outbreak investigations. This particular support was made possible via the Fleming Fund.
In addition, diagnostic reagents were handed over to NPHL to enhance its capacity for detecting endemic and emerging diseases and to expand bacterial culture and sensitivity testing services. This particular upgrade is part of WHO’s broader support through The Pandemic Fund, with co-financing from USAID-Global Health Security (GHS), and aims to strengthen Nepal’s public health laboratory services with a focus on biosafety for handling infectious biological specimens and bacteriology.
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This high-value equipment handover is aligned with the NEIDL, the 2022 Joint External Evaluation (JEE) recommendations and national strategy to strengthen laboratory capacity at all levels of the health-care system.
These efforts are particularly significant in advancing global health security and reaffirming Nepal’s commitment to equitable access to quality diagnostics and optimal patient care.
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The initiatives also highlight Nepal’s continued commitment to building a robust system for the detection and response to infectious diseases, aligned with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and WHO’s emergency preparedness and readiness framework.
By ensuring access to high-quality diagnostic tools and strengthening laboratory infrastructure, these initiatives represent a major step forward in Nepal’s health system resilience and emergency preparedness. Such reliable diagnostics for infectious diseases and antimicrobial susceptibility testing across all levels of care are essential for timely detection of drug-resistant infections, improved patient outcomes, AMR surveillance and effective outbreak response.
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“Today’s milestone reflects Nepal’s shared commitment to building a healthier, safer future. By harnessing science, partnership and innovation, we are strengthening resilience against future biological threats. Together, we are shaping a new chapter in Nepal’s public health journey - one grounded in preparedness and a steadfast commitment to save more lives,” said Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal.