The Government of Nepal is administering Vitamin ‘A’ capsules and deworming tablets to children across the country today and tomorrow. This program is conducted twice a year — traditionally on Kartik 2 and 3 and Baisakh 6 and 7 — but this year, it was rescheduled due to the Tihar festival.
According to Dr. Vivek Kumar Lal, Director of the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services, around 2.8 million children under five will receive Vitamin ‘A’ capsules, while 3 million children will be given deworming tablets during this campaign. To support the program, 52,000 female community health volunteers and 15,000 health workers have been mobilized nationwide.
Children aged 6 to 11 months will receive only Vitamin ‘A’ capsules, while those aged 12 to 59 months will get both Vitamin ‘A’ and deworming tablets. In the previous phase, around 90% of children received Vitamin ‘A’ capsules and 87% received deworming tablets, according to the division.
