India hands over medical equipment worth over Rs 18 crore to Nepal

KATHMANDU: India on Friday handed over medical equipment, including ventilators and ambulances, worth over Rs 18 crore to Nepal as a gesture of solidarity and close cooperation with the Himalayan nation in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador of India to Nepal, handed over medical supplies to Nepal Army chief Gen Purna Chandra Thapa during a ceremony at the Nepali Army Headquarters in Tundikhel.

"Fighting COVID-19 Together. As a gesture of solidarity & close cooperation, medical equipment including ventilators & ambulances was handed over today by Ambassador Kwatra to General Purna Chandra Thapa, Chief of the Nepali Army," the Indian Embassy in Nepal tweeted.

"The medical supplies were provided by the Indian Army," the Nepal Army spokesperson said in a tweet.

As part of its ‘Neighborhood First' policy, medical equipment and supplies worth Nepali Rupees 28.80 crore (about INR 18,01,09,000) provided by the Indian Army, the Indian Embassy said in a statement.

The ambassador reaffirmed India's support to the Nepali Army in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The medical equipment, including ventilators, ambulances, ICU beds, PPE Kits, PCR test kits etc was delivered to Kathmandu on June 10.

The Indian Army has been assisting the Nepali Army to fight COVID-19 through various kinds of assistance since last year, including 1 lakh doses of COVISHIELD vaccines which were provided in March 2021.

The latest assistance is another testament to the close cooperation between the two armies and the two countries, particularly in times of need, the statement said.

Nepal's coronavirus caseload surpassed 600,000-mark on Thursday with 2,874 more people testing positive for the infection.

Meanwhile, 59 fresh fatalities pushed Nepal's total death toll to 8,238.

The country's active Covid-19 case count currently stands at 77,858.