UNFPA hands over China supported PPE and reproductive health kits to Nepal

ByLaxman Datt Pant

UNFPA hands over China supported PPE and reproductive health kits to Nepal

Aiming to boost the government’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the continuity of essential reproductive health and gender-based violence response services, on March 3 the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) handed over Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Inter-Agency Reproductive Health (IARH) kits and other supplies to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) of Nepal.

The 6,048 sets of PPE, 50,000 pairs of examination gloves, 50,000 surgical masks, and 27 IARH kits valued at around US$257,000 were procured by the UNFPA Nepal with the financial support of the People’s Republic of China under the existing south-south partnership initiative between Nepal, China, and the UNFPA.

At an event organized at the ministry in Kathmandu, the supplies were handed over to Dr. Roshan Pokhrel, MoHP Chief Specialist with senior government officials and other partners also in attendance. The IARH kits included essential drugs, supplies, and equipment that enable service providers to ensure safe deliveries and manage obstetric complications as well as cases of sexual violence at health facilities.

Stating that the MoHP is committed to ensuring the continuity of essential reproductive health services for vulnerable women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Pokhrel said, “While the government’s efforts were concerted to combat COVID-19, much of our financial and human resources have been focused on this goal with very good results hence the support of our development partners at this critical time is very much appreciated as the needs are significant.” He also thanked the People’s Republic of China for their generous support and UNFPA for facilitating this contribution.

Expressing concern about the growing number of maternal deaths and the level of gender-based violence in Nepal, Lubna Baqi, UNFPA Country Representative in Nepal, said, “Ensuring health workers have the support and supplies needed to provide safe sexual and reproductive health services can be a matter of life and death for women and girls. In spite of the progressive policy environment in Nepal, preventable maternal deaths and the prevalence of gender-based violence continues to be very high compared to other countries in the region. The support from the People’s Republic of China is highly appreciated and the MoHP efforts to combat complex health challenges during COVID-19 are commendable.”

Previously, in April last year, 1,200 sets of PPE kits, 2,400 body bags, 300 pairs of gumboots, and 3,600 hand sanitizers were handed over to the Government of Nepal under the same south-south partnership initiative with these supplies being distributed to prioritized health facilities across the country.

Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by MoHP on March 3, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Nepal has reached 3,010. In the last 24 hours, only one person died and there were 87 new infections bring the current total of active infections across the country to 766 cases of active infection across the country. A month ago, in February, China decided to provide the first batch of 500,000 doses of vaccine to Nepal.