KATHMANDU: The World Bank officials have handed over a total of 982 oxygen concentrators with the capacity of 10 litre each have been handed over to the government of Nepal.
The oxygen concentrators were bought with an assistance of the World Bank for capacity enhancement of the health sector to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Bank’s Country Director of the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka Faris Hadad-Zervos handed over those equipment to Minister for Health and Population Sher Bahadur Tamang at a programme organised in the capital city on Saturday.
On the occasion, Minister Tamang expressed gratitude to the World Bank for the support and shared that the equipment would be sent to all seven provinces’ health institutions without further delay.
Likewise, World Bank’s Country Director Zervos expressed commitment to supporting Nepal and Nepalis by cooperating with other development partners in this time of crisis.
The Bank has said that seven oxygen generation plants expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
“The oxygen concentrators were procured through UNOPS under the World Bank-financed COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project, which has also financed seven oxygen generation plants, one for each province in Nepal. These plants will be brought in, installed and operationalized by UNOPS in a phased manner in seven provincial hospitals, in the next 6-15 weeks,” the Bank has stated in a statement.
“The World Bank has made available $104 million to support Nepal’s immediate health response to the pandemic, including the procurement of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, and strengthening the country’s health systems and preparedness,” stated Faris Hadad-Zervos.
