KATHMANDU, April 24: Out of the total 48 confirmed Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Nepal, 28 are from Udayapur district, supposedly making it an epicenter of the outbreak of the disease in the country.

Udaypur hit that number following the confirmation of one new case in the district by the Ministry of Health and Population on Thursday afternoon.

In response to the outbreak in the district, One Heart Worldwide dispatched the first installment of essential COVID-19 equipment, including the complete Personal Protective Equipment among others, and handed them over to Health Office Udayapur in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population and the Social Welfare Council.

The packages, consisting of complete Personal Protective Equipment, reusable protective goggles, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, disposable gloves in different sizes, heavy duty gloves, cleaners, surgical masks, N95 masks, infrared thermometers, liquid soaps, disposable caps, water and air proof aprons, disposable shoe covers, and antibacterial hand wash soaps, will be distributed to all the health facilities in the districts.

Mohan Subedi, chief of Health Office Udayapur, said that the equipment provided by One Heart Worldwide will be an asset of big value at a time when the district is reeling under the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.  

“We are grateful to One Heart Worldwide for providing the essential equipment during this time of crisis. As we are well aware that the number of COVID-19 cases has been on the rise lately in Udayapur, the equipment will be instrumental in fighting the disease. Together with the joint effort of the Government of Nepal and non-profit organizations like One Heart, we will be able to combat the virus better and we expect to get the continuous support in the days to come,” he said.     

The packages are divided into four categories: for district hospitals (2), facilities with birthing centers (30), facilities without birthing centers (15) and eight emergency packages to be distributed at the municipalities that are required to maintain quarantine spaces.

According to the Health Office Udayapur, equipment for District Hospital, Udayapur, and Triyuga Municipality were handed over to the local authorities on Wednesday while the equipment for other municipalities will be dispatched at the earliest.

“On behalf of all health workers in Udayapur district, I would like to express our goodwill and gratitude to One Heart Worldwide for helping us with lifesaving equipment. The equipment will be invaluable for health workers like me to fight the disease,” said Ashok Tiwari, consultant physician at the District Hospital, Udayapur. 

One Heart Worldwide, working in the field of maternal and neonatal health for the last 10 years in direct partnership with the Government of Nepal, is one of the leading organizations responding to the COVID-19 in Nepal, says Surya Bhatta, Executive Director at the One Heart Worldwide.

“We have been working tirelessly in a consortium consisting of 18 non-profit organizations in Nepal. We are in the process of procuring a large amount of life-saving equipment to support the districts based on the urgency and need. We have already supported Province 1, Bagmati Province and Ministry of Health and Population with essential equipment as soon as the country went into lockdown and we will continue to do the same in the future,” he said. 

 
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