News Releases
Global Fund Approves Emergency Funding for Nepal to Restore Essential HIV and TB Services After Devastating Floods
GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has approved US$1.16 million in emergency funding to restore essential HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services following the catastrophic floods in Nepal.
These funds will support Nepal's efforts to ensure that people living with HIV and people recovering from or at risk of TB continue their treatment regimens uninterrupted, despite severe damage to road networks, transit systems and healthcare facilities caused by flooding. Funds will be used to procure several months' supply of medication and laboratory equipment in areas isolated by flood damage, including new portable machines that use a mouth swab to detect TB and a digital X-ray system to quickly and accurately screen people for signs of the disease. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), working closely with health authorities in Nepal, will implement these funds, focusing on reaching remote and isolated communities and people displaced by the floods.
On 26 August 2026, flash floods in northern and central Nepal caused significant, widespread damage along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors. As of late September 2026, at least 1,400 people were confirmed dead, more than 5,200 were missing and more than 3,600 were displaced. Floods damaged thousands of buildings, including schools, government buildings and health facilities. Dozens of bridges were washed away.
Preventing and treating HIV and TB both require regular testing and access to care, including reliable access to essential medications. Severe damage to Nepal's critical infrastructure, including roads and health posts, has cut off access to care for people already on treatment and threatens the country’s efforts to effectively identify and treat new cases of HIV and TB.
“This disaster requires a swift and effective response,” said Mark Edington, Head of Grant Management at the Global Fund. “These funds will quickly shore up and replace stores of lifesaving medicines and equipment and help ensure that people in the hardest-hit areas aren't left without essential healthcare.”
Recent floods in Nepal highlight the importance of strengthening health systems that can adapt and continue to deliver health services in the wake of disasters, allowing governments and communities to focus their energies on emergency response. Funds made available through the Emergency Fund help ensure that possible disease outbreaks are caught and addressed before they can compound the damage caused by a fire, flood, typhoon or earthquake.
Since 2014, the Global Fund's Emergency Fund has provided US$174.3 million to dozens of countries experiencing conflict, extreme weather events and health crises, including conflict-affected areas in Sudan and communities at the center of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.