Rajbiraj, August 23

Nepali Congress and its sister wing Nepal Student Union staged a demonstration in Rajbiraj, Saptari, today accusing the government of being indifferent to the problems faced by people amid the health crisis.

Leaders and cadres of the NC have sought more ventilators and ICU services and more PCR tests, along with the second phase of relief to the families worst hit by the lockdown and prohibitory order.

They, by maintaining social distance, demonstrated for about an hour at the main gate of Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital, threatening to intensify their agitation should the government ignore their demands.

“On the one hand, there is shortage of ventilators and ICU facilities, while on the other, the prolonged lockdown has caused members of the poor and impoverished communities to lose their lives for nought. We have taken to the street to draw the government’s attention to this ground reality,” said Nepali Congress youth leader Larsad Ansari.

“We have the country’s largest isolation facility in Rajbiraj, but as there is lack of ICUs and ventilators, many people are losing their lives,” said Ansari.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 24, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.