India hands over 150 ICU beds to Nepal government amid COVID-19 pandemic

KATHMANDU: India on Sunday handed over 150 ICU (intensive care unit) beds to the Nepal government as a gesture of solidarity and close cooperation with the Himalayan nation in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The medical beds were handed over by Ambassador of India to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra to Nepal Minister for Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Gyanendra Bahadur Karki at a ceremony organised here.

At the handing over event, Kwatra reiterated India's commitment to assist Nepal in comprehensively managing the pandemic, including through cooperation on the critical health infrastructure of the country. According to an official release, minister Karki appreciated the gesture and said it was an important milestone, showing "incredible goodwill enjoyed by both the countries".

Since the start of the pandemic, India has provided around USD 6.5 million worth of grant assistance to Nepal, through supply of essential medicines, RT-PCR tests, ventilators, and essential medicines. Nepal was one of the first countries to receive 1 million doses of Covishield vaccines from India in January 2021 as grant.

Besides this, the Indian Army has also supplied 1 lakh doses of vaccines to the Nepal Army as grant and medical supplies including BIPAP machines, antigen kits, PPE, Masks, Ambulances and ICU beds. The coronavirus has so far killed 9,550 people, including 667,109 confirmed cases in Nepal, according to Johns Hopkins University.