Friday 19th April 2024
In a bid to support Nepal during the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank has approved a fast-track USD 29 million ‘COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project’.
The project agreement was signed by the Nepali Finance Secretary Sishir Kumar Dhungana and the World Bank Country Manager for Nepal Faris Hadad-Zervos on April 7, 2020.
The project aims at improving healthcare facilities in Nepal to prevent, detect and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic on par with the WHO guidelines.
Primary Goals of the Project-
“We are thankful to the World Bank for the response in a record short period of time, which will help Nepal respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen our capacities to deal with future public health risks,” expressed Sishir Kumar.
“Given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government’s rapid response will help save lives across Nepal,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos.
“The World Bank and its development partners are committed to helping Nepal beef up its health infrastructure and access the resources it needs to fight the spread of COVID-19 and protect the livelihoods of its people” he added.
The project is funded by the International Development Association (IDA) through the World Bank Group’s COVID-19 Fast-Track Facility.
The Nepali Ministry of Health and Population will implement the project.
So far, Nepal has reported only 9 coronavirus infection cases. However, the country is at high risk as it lacks adequate healthcare facilities to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
[ALSO READ: NEB postpones exams of grade 11 and 12]As of today, coronavirus has infected 1,438,715 people and claimed 82,385 lives globally. However, 309,937 patients have recovered from the infection.
