Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli wrote his opinion on the present situation of Nepal saying the country is battling a new and brutal wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the op-ed page of The Guardian, British Daily newspaper also online, published on Monday, May 10, Nepal’s PM Oli has said the rise in the number of infections poses a serious challenge to the frontline workers like doctors, nurses, other care providers, citizen volunteers and the entire health service system.
The PM has expressed his view that Nepal’s history is one of hardship and struggle, yet this pandemic is pushing even us to our limits. The number of infections is straining the healthcare system; it has become tough to provide patients with the hospital beds that they need, he has said.
Oli has said, “The infection graph is climbing up and so is the rate of people testing positive. There have been about 8,000 new cases every day for the past several days, which is quite high for a country of approximately 30 million people”.
PM Oli has claimed that his government is making the best possible efforts on both fronts – prevention and treatment – to save people from this lethal enemy. Further he has said, “Well-calibrated restrictions are in place, particularly in urban areas, aimed at breaking the chain of infection, and public awareness campaigns are continuing. We have tried to make sure that those needing interventions such as oxygen support and ICU care get access to the treatment they need. We have taken measures to expand the testing, tracing and treatment facilities”.
However, the PM has lamented, “Due to the constraints of resources and infrastructure, the pandemic is turning out to be an overwhelming burden.”
The Prime Minister of the Himalayan country has further appealed to the international community to help with vaccines, diagnostic tools, oxygen kits, critical care medicines and equipment, to support the efforts to save lives.
On behalf of the Government of Nepal, PM Oli has expressed his hope that Britain will use its influence to ensure that the G7 accelerates the deployment of vaccines around the world.
Britain as the host of Cop26 will push hard for an ambitious climate deal later this year – a deal that should contain financial support and capacity-building for climate-vulnerable countries at its core, he has expressed his hope.
In his opinion article, the prime minister has assumed that the glacial melting due to climate change may trigger floods, makes Nepal one of the countries bearing a disproportionate brunt of climate change through no fault of its own.
