US Provides 100 ventilators to Nepal in response to COVID-19

KATHMANDU: The United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), donated 100 state-of-the-art ventilators to Nepal to assist its fight against COVID-19, on Friday.

For more than 70 years, through disaster, conflict and rough times, the US has stood by Nepal in partnership and, continuing the collaboration. The US has been helping the people of Nepal through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US has stood with the Nepali people to combat the pandemic that has hit both of the countries hard.

To help relieve the pressure on some of the most critical cases, the US government donated the highly versatile ventilators to help even the most remote communities.

The ventilators with portable flexibility may prove life-saving and may help to treat patients affected by the virus, especially, whose lungs are not working adequately.

During the event organised on Friday, US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry stated, “The United States remains committed to its partnership with Nepal through the best and worst of times.  With these ventilators, we want to help Nepali families be prepared to help their loved ones that are the most affected by COVID-19.”

In addition to the ventilators, USAID activities have also supported 113 municipal contact tracing and case investigation teams, provided COVID-19 telephone counselling to almost two million families, conducted remote health counselling with more than 500,000 families during the lockdowns, identified more than 60,000 food-insecure families and referred them to food aid programs, and reached more than 14 million people with mass media messages about COVID-19.

The USAID is also funding a tailored package of ventilator support that includes accompanying equipment, service plans, and technical assistance. This donation builds on the $28.3 million (3.4 billion NPR) to active projects that USAID has committed to Nepal in response to the pandemic.

Moreover, the United States has made a commitment to providing an All-of-America approach for life-saving support by coordinating with the Government of Nepal.