Nepalis living abroad send oxygen cylinders for COVID patients
Kathmandu, May 16
Non-Resident Nepali Association today handed over 560 cylinders of oxygen to the Government of Nepal as part of its 'Let's send Oxygen to Nepal: Let's Save the Lives of Dear Ones' campaign.
The oxygen cylinders were sent to Nepal by Nepalis living in the Middle East, in association with the Embassy of Nepal in Oman. A press release issued by NRNA said the medical supplies were worth Rs 7.5 million.
NRNA President Kumar Panta and founding president Upendra Mahato handed over the oxygen cylinders to Minister of Health and Population Hridyaesh Tripati at an event in Kathmandu.
NRNA informed air transportation cost of oxygen cylinders from Oman was borne by the Government of Nepal. Panta and Mahato also submitted a request letter of Nepali donors living abroad to Minister Tripathi regarding where the oxygen cylinders should be distributed.
Panta said that Nepalis living in various parts of the world had extended helping hands to Nepal after acute shortage of oxygen claimed many lives in the country.
He said that NRNA was also working in coordination with various national and international agencies, diplomatic missions and embassies abroad to further support COVID-19 patients in Nepal.
As per the NRNA, 200 oxygen cylinders will be provided to Lumbini, 200 to Sudurpaschim, 100 to Karnali, 85 to Province 2, and 75 cylinders to Gandaki.
Meanwhile, a total of 349 Nepalis living in 23 foreign countries have succumbed to COVID-19 so far. As many as 66,019 Nepalis are infected with the deadly contagion in 54 countries. Of them, 63,457 have recovered.
The recovery rate is 95.5 per cent. NRNA appealed to all Nepalis living abroad to take precautionary measures against the disease by avoiding public gatherings. It advised the Nepali community to wear face mask inside public vehicles and crowded places.
Recently, NRNA had signed a project agreement with the International Labour Organisation, Country Office for Nepal. The 'COV- ID-19 Response to Nepali Migrant Workers for Repatriation and Return Project' is being implemented in five countries, namely, Nepal, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. This initiative aims to collaborate with Nepali missions in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to provide effective services to Nepali migrant workers impacted by COV- ID-19, provide legal/paralegal assistance and shortterm shelter support for the most vulnerable Nepali migrant workers and support the Government of Nepal in providing safe and secure transit services to those returning to Nepal.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 17 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
