KATHMANDU: The Ambassador of Japan to Nepal Masashi Ogawa signed an accord on Wednesday to facilitate the Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Hospital in Siraha District with a mobile clinic car.

The grant accord of Rs 6.5 million funded under Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) of was signed between the Embassy of Japan and the Chairman of the hospital, Dr. Upendra Mahato.

The Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Hospital located in Karjanha village is the only medical facility in the area. It provides a wide range of medical services and focuses on treatment of local women and children. The mobile clinic is said to support the expansion of its services to cover four districts, Danusha, Siraha, Udayapur and Sindhuli. The hospital provides different services free of cost or at a minimum cost to financially and socially disadvantaged people.

The mobile clinic is a specialized car manufactured by Toy Factory, a Japanese company, and comes with basic medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment of patients.  It can also be used to transport patients to the hospital if needed.

"The Embassy of Japan believes this project will contribute towards improving medical services and will help save lives of people living in the southeastern plains of Nepal. The embassy also believes the project can further enhance the bilateral relationship between Japan and Nepal," the Embassy said in a statement.