KATHMANDU, June 19: The World Bank (WB) has provided Nepal with 982 units of 10-liter oxygen concentrators to fight against the COVID-19.

Sher Bahadur Tamang, Minister for Health and Population, received the therapeutic oxygen supply equipment from the multilateral institution on Saturday.

The oxygen concentrators were procured through UNOPS under the World Bank-financed COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project, which has also financed seven oxygen generation plants, one for each province in Nepal. These plants will be brought in, installed and operationalized by UNOPS in a phased manner in seven provincial hospitals, in the next 6-15 weeks, according to the WB.

“The World Bank has made available $104 million to support Nepal’s immediate health response to the pandemic, including the procurement of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, and strengthening the the country’s health systems and preparedness,” stated Faris Hadad-Zervos, WB Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “We are committed to support Nepal and Nepalis during this crisis, and by joining forces with the government and development partners, we have been able to have more impact.”

Under the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project, the WB is supporting the purchase and deployment of COVID‐19 vaccines for prioritized Nepali citizens, health system strengthening toward a robust public health response to the pandemic, community engagement and risk communication, and strengthening the existing digital technology‐based pandemic data, surveillance and monitoring systems, reads a WB-issued press release.

 
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