Nepal, Jan. 15 -- Around 81 percent of the private health facilities providing immunisation services are not using the World Health Organization recommended refrigerators to store vaccines, a report published by the Ministry of Health and Population shows.

The study, "Assessment of Immunisation Services in the Private Sector in Kathmandu Valley", carried out by a consortium of Atlanta's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, John Snow Institute and the Health Ministry shows that these health facilities have been storing crucial vaccines in normal refrigerators, which cannot ensure the quality of vaccines.

As per the recommendations of the UN health agency, pre-qualified refrigerators should be used to store...