PRC, the U. S. and Australia support Nepal to combat the devastating COVID-19 upsurge

ByLaxman Datt Pant

PRC, the U. S. and Australia support Nepal to combat the devastating COVID-19 upsurge

As the upsurge in COVID-19 infections in Nepal has so far claimed 5,847 lives with around 10,000 new cases reported daily over the last three weeks, the governments of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the United States (U.S.), and Australia have come aboard to support the country to combat the devastating COVID-19.

The Australian Embassy in Nepal announced today that Australia will provide an additional AU$7 million to Nepal to support its response to COVID-19. This funding is part of the AU$17.5 million package to support South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to strengthen resilience in the region.

Highlighting that Australia and Nepal have a long-standing friendship and a history of supporting each other during times of crisis, Felicity Volk, Australia’s Ambassador to Nepal said, “Australia is deeply concerned about the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having across Nepal and the region. With this assistance, we will partner with the Government of Nepal (GoN) to respond to urgent health needs, including providing support to regional hospitals and vulnerable communities.”

  • Australia’s contribution is expected to boost Nepal’s ability to address COVID-19 including through the procurement of essential equipment and health supplies
  • This funding will be delivered to trusted and established partners working on the ground across Nepal in coordination with the work being undertaken by other donors including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan, and United Nations agencies in Nepal
  • The Australian Government continues to support the provision of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal including through its support to COVAX

Similarly, the PRC has provided various life-saving medical equipment and supplies to help Nepal fight the pandemic. These items include 3,500 oxygen cylinders and 10 ventilators, out of which 2,000 oxygen cylinders and 10 ventilators have already been airlifted with the remainder of the oxygen cylinders reported to have been being delivered at Rasuwagadhi border port.

  • On May 20, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal announced that PRC will hand over another consignment of 40 portable ventilators, 20 automated analyzers, 10 DR machines, 20 portable ultrasound, and 30 anesthesia machines valued at 5 million RMB to Nepal within the next week.
  • PRC has also announced additional grant assistance of 5 million RMB under which items such as 650 oxygen concentrators, 20,000 oxygen nasal cannulas, and 20,000 oxygen face masks will be provided to Nepal by next month.
  • On May 19, the Government of the Sichuan Province of China sent by a chartered aircraft a delivery of medical supplies that included 300,000 disposable surgical masks, 162,880 N95 masks, 10,000 medical protective clothing items, 500 ear thermometers, 50 non-contact infrared thermometers with a value equivalent to 3.06 million RMB.
  • The Tibet Autonomous Region of China has announced it will provide additional medical equipment and materials that include 200 ICU beds, 5 ventilators, 10 oxygen concentrators, 800 oxygen gas cylinders with oxygen, and 15,000 antigen kits.

On May 20, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced emergency assistance to help the GoN battle the country’s deadly COVID-19 surge. To this end, the first of three flights have already departed for Kathmandu carrying medical materials aimed at protecting healthcare workers in Nepal. This is the first in a series of flights to Nepal.

  • This announcement builds on USAID’s efforts to help Nepal battle the rising number of COVID-19 cases and contain transmission
  • In the past three weeks, USAID has provided more than US$15 million to help Nepal scale up COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, treatment, and infection prevention
  • USAID is also helping to procure oxygen-related supplies and repair oxygen-generating systems throughout the country
  • This recent assistance, in addition to support over the past 15 months, brings USAID’s total assistance to Nepal for COVID-19 to more than US$50 million