Covid-19 Nepal: In Karnali, people run after oxygen cylinders despite the provincial govt’s assurance
Considering the shortage, the Karnali Provincial Hospital has decided to purchase an additional 500 cylinders. However, the citizens were still seen scrambling to find oxygen cylinders for hours.
KATHMANDU, May 16: Minister for Forest and Environment Prem Bahadur Ale has provided 22 oxygen cylinders to the District Hospital in Doti in his personal initiation.
Minister Ale took the lead to send the cylinders containing the life-saving gas to the Hospital after learning about the difficulties in treatment of the Covid-19 patients in the Hospital in lack of oxygen cylinders.
According to Minister Ale’s personal secretary Hemanta Regmi, 17 big and 5 small cylinders were sent to Doti Hospital through Nepalgunj.
Furthermore, efforts were underway to dispatch 50 oxygen cylinders and 50 set of surgical masks to the Seti Provincial Hospital in Kailali in support of Minister Ale.
Doti Hospital’s medical superintendent Krishna Joshi shared that the humanitarian assistance of Minister Ale has facilitated in treatment of the Covid-19 patients in the Hospital and it has raised patients’ and their families’ hopes.
According to Joshi, Minister Ale has pledged to send five oxygen concentrators to the Hospital very soon.
KATHMANDUThe China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district today via roadway.
According to Ganesh Pandey, press coordinator to Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre Ishwor Pokharel, those cylinders will be brought in Kathmandu once the Chinese government hands them over to Nepal.
As Nepal has been in the grip of second wave of Covid-19, there has been high demand of oxygen cylinders to treat the infected ones.
Earlier, 400 oxygen cylinders were flown to Nepal from China. Preparations are afoot to ferry 1,600 remaining cylinders, out of 20,000, provided by China in grant assistance, informed Pandey.
The Nepal Airlines Corporation’s wide-body aircraft, which had flown to China on Saturday, is bringing home 550 oxygen cylinders from China today itself.
KATHMANDU, May 15: The national flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China and Muscat, the capital of Oman.
The NAC A-330 wide body left for Muscat this morning to pick up 600 oxygen gas cylinders to be received from Oman in assistance. The Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and the Nepali Embassy in Oman had facilitated the assistance. The NAC aircraft will be returning from Muscat this evening.
Similarly, the NAC wide body is scheduled to leave for Beijing at 11:00 pm today to bring medical assistance which also includes oxygen cylinders provided by the Government of China. Besides, preparation is on to bring eight oxygen concentrators from China. The government plans to send the NAC wide body to China on May 15, 16 and 17 to bring 550 oxygen cylinders per each flight amidst the raging Covid-19 crisis.
Nepali migrant workers in various countries in the Gulf have bought 600 oxygen cylinders to send to Nepal to help their motherland fight the Covid-19 crisis.
DHADING, May 12: The Federation of Nepalese Crusher and Mines Entrepreneurs’ Association (FNCMEA) have jointly provided 47 filled oxygen cylindered to be returned later to the temporary Covid-19 hospital set up by Dhading Hospital.
This help is as part of corporate responsibility of the organisations to help people in such crisis, said the Federation General Secretary Purushottam Regmi.
The provided oxygen cylinders would be of a great help in the treatment of Covid-19 patients at a time when there is a scarcity of oxygen, said the hospital medical superintendent Tribhuvan Chandra Jha.
Likewise, the Washing Cement Industry has donated 15 filled oxygen cylinders to the hospital. The hospital has used 25 to 30 oxygen cylinders in the treatment of Covid-19 patients on a daily basis, said the hospital chair Mahendra Dhamala.
KATHMANDU, May 12: The Nepal Bureau of Standards & Metrology (NBSM) has donated filled oxygen cylinders to Birendra Military Hospital in Chhauni and Balaju oxygen industry (three to hospital, one to industry).
The donated oxygen cylinders were being used by the Bureau, said the Bureau Director General, Bishwo Babu Pudasaini. He urged donation of oxygen cylinders amid the second wave of Covid-19.
Police in Kathmandu have confiscated 6,484 oxygen cylinders from various persons, households and groups that could be used for Covid-19 patients who are struggling to breathe.
As a critical shortage of medical oxygen due to the lack of sufficient cylinders is feared in Nepal due to the surging number of Covid-19 cases across the country, China is donating 20,000 oxygen cylinders.
