IBN informed that it received as many as 48 applications for 31 out of 50 projects showcased at the summit. The cost of the 31 projects are over NPR 2,500 billion.

Number of Investment Applications for Nepal Projects

Nepal’s upcoming pride project Nijgadh Airport received the highest number of prospective investor applications. The USD 3.45 billion mega project in one of the most costly projects that the government has been trying to draw investment for.

“As many as six investors, the largest number for a single project, have applied to build Nijgadh International Airport,” read the IBN press statement.

Furthermore, the Kathmandu Valley’s Outer Ring Road and Bus Rapid Transit (on Ring Road) projects received four applications each.

In terms of infrastructure, five Nepal agriculture infrastructure projects received seven investor proposals. Tourism infrastructure projects received three proposals. Education and health infrastructure received one application, each.

Similarly, nine transport infrastructure projects received 22 investment proposals.

Investor Application Deadline Extended

However, IBN has not revealed the identity of the prospective investors as officials say that the deadline for investors applications is extended by one month to May 20, 2019.

“We are giving additional time to prospective investors to submit detailed proposal since these projects are complex and we received requests from interested parties to allow them more time to work on their applications, like in Nijgadh’s case,” said Adhikari.

However, industry experts opine that extension of application deadlines will make a difference, if the government doesn’t implement the FDI act, which was passed just before the summit.

Factors such as approval procedures from the government, time taken to initiate processes and the high cost of doing business can hamper the growth of investments in Nepal.

In the meanwhile, IBN revealed that it is planning to start the application review process shortly.

“The IBN has divided the projects into three categories. We will review the applications accordingly,” said Maha Prasad Adhikari, IBN CEO.

Adhikari added that 27 projects have been kept in the first category. It plans to shortlist eligible developers for the projects within three months or by August 20, 2019.

The next category of project developers will be selected in nine months from now or by February 20, 2020. While the third category has big and complex projects, for which IBN will select prospective developers over a period of 14 months or by August 20, 2020.

The IBN board of directors that met in a meeting last week have decided to form a six-member panel, under the Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the council of ministers, to shortlist applications and implementation of 15 MoUs signed during the summit.

The panel includes Joint Secretaries of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Ministry of Physical Infrastructure.

Also Read:

• Nepal’s Nijgadh International Airport: Qatar Enters the Discussion, What’s Next?
• Nijgadh Intl Airport: Committee Pitches for New Project Report
• Nijgadh Airport Construction Raises Environmental Concerns

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The supercomputer will majorly help in the analysis of health and administrative sector’s databases in Nepal.

In June 2018, CERN computing centre donated 200 servers to Kathmandu University (KU) including 184 CPU servers, 16 disk servers, and 12 network switches.

CERN donates equipment that it doesn’t require anymore. Hence, the company has donated a total of 2079 servers, 123 network switches to countries and international organizations including Pakistan, Philippines, Serbia, Senegal, Mexico and now Nepal.

These computing components were used to create the high-performance computing facility for research and education purposes in Nepal.

The supercomputer can be used for analyzing data of earthquakes, climate change, controlling H1N1 virus, genetic diseases, tracking pollution, identifying the hydro-electric potential of various rivers and more.

Lack of Infrastructure in KU

KU is Nepal’s second largest university but lacking research-specific infrastructure and resources. Following this insufficiency, the KU School of Medicine deletes medical imaging data because due to inadequate disk storage space.

The loss of data makes it difficult to screen diseases or conduct population health studies. Likewise, R&D projects in science and engineering schools rely heavily on foreign resources or online data transfer which is very slow for large amounts of data. With the help of this supercomputer, Nepal will now be able to fill its missing gaps of research and data and deliver quality services in the fields of health, science, and education.

Nepal now has the fastest supercomputer in South Asia, after India!

After its foray into satellite technology, this is Nepal’ second achievement in the technological sector.

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A report released by Nepal National Micronutrient Status Survey (NNMSS) on August 29,2018 indicates a negative trend in the early growth of children between the age groups of 6 and 59 months.

This has a high chance of stunting children’s growth and makes them vulnerable to diseases such as diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

Dr. Santosh Manandhar, paediatrician at Kanti Children’s Hospital says breastfeeding up to a certain age is a must for children’s overall growth.

“A child experiences a deficiency of micronutrients such as zinc if they are not fed proper nutritional diets such as mother’s milk. The chances of stunting, hypogonadism and poor immunity in a child are high due to such deficiency.”

Health experts identify unhealthy diet and lifestyle as responsible for the deficiency of micronutrients. However, figures suggest that people with access to healthy diet and lifestyle also suffer micronutrient deficiency.

Drinking water, sanitation and provision of quality food are essential to fight the deficiency of micronutrients. Hence, experts urge authorities to pay attention to these areas.

Following are the detailed findings of the report:

• In the age-group of 6-59 months, 28 percent children living in the mountains were identified with zinc deficiency. Followed by 23 percent in the hills and 18 percent in the Terai region
• Helicobacter Pylori is found in Nepali children and women. 20 percent of the children between 6 to 59 months and 40 percent of non-expectant women between 15-49 years have H Pylori infection. This can cause ulcer and even stomach cancer
• There is a lack of iron among children between 6 to 59 months. 19 percent had anemia, 28 percent had iron deficiency and 11 percent are suffering with iron deficiency anemia
• Anemia was highly visible in expectant women between 15-49 years compared to non-expectant women

The government will use this report as reference to implement various nutrition plans across the country.

“The health of children and women should not be ignored at any cost. The NNMSS report will be of great help in making further plans and policies,” said Surendra Kumar Yadav, State Minister, Ministry of Health and Population.

What do Experts Say?
“Minimizing the deficiency of micronutrients is only possible with multi-sectoral approach. The government should have a holistic approach to dealing with problems in corresponding sectors like sanitation, water, and livestock,” said Dr Sushil Nath Pyakurel, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Health and Population.

“Nepalis have easy access to food items rich in micronutrients because of our diverse and rich agricultural produce in all the geographic regions. Yet, people fail to eat regularly these quality foods due to the lack of awareness of the food and ways to prevent malnutrition,” said Dr. RP Bichha, Director, Nepal Family Health Division.

Conclusion:
We hope that Nepal’s Health Sector is able to tackle this scenario with help from nutritionists, scientists and parents of these children.

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In an event organized by NHRC , Nepal Health and Population (NHP) Minister Upendra Yadav said that excerpts from research data will assist in formulating effective laws and policies in the Nepali health sector.

Until now, the government has been relying on expert suggestion or available data for health policy formulation.

“The Central Government has been working on the basis of available data and is, thus, managing health programs throughout the country. In the same way, local governments should also conduct scientific research to identify problems and formulate rules and regulations based on such study,” said Yadav.

Adding further he said, formulating policies based on research will help in aligning with the Nepal Government’s sustainable development goals (SDG).

NHRC Executive Chair, Dr Anjani Jha who was also present at the occasion said that the council has been conducting researches on various aspects including, communicable and non-communicable diseases, environmental pollution and global warming.

“Such studies have helped formulate sound laws and their effective implementation,” says Jha.

He also assured that the NHRC will be available to support the Nepal Government in its initiatives.

“It is our duty to conduct research on different diseases in the country so that the government can make effective schemes in the health sector. We are always there to provide them the necessary data,” said Dr Jha, while adding that the council has begun research on mental health for the first time in the country’s history.

Currently, Nepal lacks quality research centres due to which it is dependent on international non-governmental organizations.

Adding to this, Dr. Pushpa Chaudhary, Secretary, Nepal Health and Population Ministry said, “We need to develop our own research centers so that we can perform research as per the need of the government to implement proper policies from the gathered evidences of the research.”

Nepal Government has assured that it will make use of research data to set plans that will reduce diseases and arrange for facilities according to the needs of its people.

“The government of Nepal has shown a positive attitude for the health sector. The government can achieve various world health goals if plans and policies are made according to its required amount,” said Prof Paul Garner, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Conclusion:
Nepal Government and its health sector are constantly working on updating and improvising the existing health practices in the country, we hope that they will be successful in establishing Nepal as one of the world leaders in the provision of healthcare.

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Nepal’s Province. 2 has been identified as the ideal site for the upcoming project as the region is not equipped with the required cancer-treatment services and infrastructure.

The institute will be established at a cost of USD 7 million within  four years period and envisages to treat around 20,000 people from both Nepal and India, annually. The estimated amount will cover construction, equipment, training and other related costs.

The local government will assist the establishment through monetary support although a major chunk of its funding will come from Binaytara Foundation.

The Current Scenario
Due to lack of facilities within the region, people have to go all the way to the capital city Kathmandu which is a 10-hour drive from Ramgopalpur. Furthermore, factors like culture and lack of finances obstruct these patients from making this ‘life-changing move’.

In such a situation, most of the patients in the region do not get treated or come to know about their illness at a critical time when no treatment is possible, says Binaytara Foundation President Dr. Binay Shah.

“Many patients would hardly visit a doctor. There aren’t adequate cancer services in the region.” says Dr. Shah

Roadmap for the Future

• The first step in the process of setup will be starting preventive oncology services, developing hospice and providing palliative treatment
• A doctor has already been appointed for hospice management and provision of palliative care
• Also, the goal of setting up a laboratory and providing radiology services has to be completed by the end of 2018

Current Progress
Dr. Shah has been visiting Nepal to ensure that things move at the expected pace. In mid-June, he met with Ramgopalpur mayor, several other politicians and physicians in the region.

The city of Ramgopalpur honored Dr. Shah’s visit with a free health camp for its citizens. The two-day camp witnessed a participation of 600 people who were treated by Dr. Shah and three other physicians.

Out of the 600 patients that attended the camp, Shah identified 15 cancer victims.

Binaytara Foundation – India initiative
Earlier in February 2018, the Binaytara Foundation established a similar center in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Like Ramgopalpur, people in Janakpur also suffered due to lack of a comprehensive institute.

The institutive serves as a training center for nurses and doctors who have further expanded their services in the rest of the region.

Also Read:

• Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology Gets Rs. 100 Million Grant

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