As Nepal continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic’s second wave, Amnesty International on Monday has called on the international community to increase aid supply as well as vaccines to the country.
Amnesty International also has called on Nepal’s politicians to set aside their differences and take decisive action in the coming weeks to save thousands of lives.
“We are currently seeing the same desperate situation play out in Nepal that we saw in India over recent months. The country’s health care system is teetering, with hospitals reaching capacity, and overstretched, hopelessly under-resourced staff are unable to keep up with overwhelming demand,” said Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director. Yamini Mishra.
“Right now, to save thousands of lives, Nepal’s authorities must prioritize the procurement and supply of oxygen, which until now has been held up by inaction and bureaucratic wrangling. For its part, the international community must urgently provide supplies of oxygen, ventilators, vaccines, and other life-saving products,” Mishra said.
“Nepal desperately needs more vaccines to help combat this deadly second wave of COVID-19. While countries like China and the US have now pledged to provide vaccines to Nepal, this is not enough. The international community has to come together and provide unequivocal support to global mechanisms such as COVAX to ensure equitable access to vaccines and prioritize resource and technology transfer to produce vaccines locally,” said Yamini Mishra.
Nepal currently has one of the world’s highest infection rates and, in April, the country’s Ministry of Health projected an additional 300,000 cases by July.
