heighten the safety of frontline health workers and volunteers who are assisting patients during the theCOVID-19 pandemic. The project aims to provide safety gears and disinfectant items to the health workers and frontline workers in public hospitals dedicated to COVID-19 treatment, in all seven provinces in the country. The overall objective of the project is to serve approx. 60,000 health workers across the country including doctors, nurses, blood technicians, ambulance drivers, medical technicians, people in quarantine centers and community members at risk towards COVID-19..

In this regard, the first handover ceremony commenced on 30th June at the premises of the Ministry of Health and Population in the presence of the Honorable Minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, representatives of Coca-Cola in Nepal and Nepal Red-Cross Society. As a first phase of the project, safety gears and health equipment were handed over to Minister Dhakal for the health workers of Sukraraj Tropical Hospital, Teku as received by the hospital director, Dr. Sagar Kumar Rajbhandari.

The aid distribution will be conducted in different phases and the first phase includes 15,000 surgical masks, 1,150 K-95 masks, 550 disposable coveralls with hoods, 300 safety goggles, 10,000 pairs of gloves, 440 safety boots, 2,500 bottles of sanitizers, 450 packs of Chemical Sodium Hypo-chloride Sanitizer and 15,118 bars of soap. This distribution will be completed within the next 2 weeks.

At the distribution Ceremony, Minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal thanked Nepal Red-Cross Society and its partner Coca-Cola in Nepal for their support during the ongoing fight against COVID-19 pandemic and further shared, “Over these difficult times, everyone’s support is needed and we assure that there will be a transparent record of all received equipment which will be properly distributed where needed the most. Nepal government will support to immediately send this equipment where they haven’t reached yet.”

Director of Sukraraj tropical Hospital, Teku, Sagar Kumar Rajbhandari shared, “This equipment will support many doctors, nurses and frontline health workers.” He added, “Hospitals have been working hard to provide health kits to the affected and the given equipment will definitely be helpful to us.”

“The joint initiation of Nepal Red-Cross and The Coca-Cola Foundation is an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus and protect the frontline health workers and volunteers”, Sanjeev Thapa, Chairman of Nepal Red-Cross Society shared. To ensure the continuity of very essential services like blood transfusion, ambulance and hospitals, safety materials have huge importance. Additionally, training on how to use the equipment will also be provided. Throughout the distribution, safety protocols and the regulations of the lockdown will be followed while maintaining social distancing.

“We are pleased to work with our partners including Nepal Red-Cross Society to provide essential health equipment to various health units and PPEs to health workers and emergency volunteers working tirelessly to keep our country and citizens safe”,Ambuj Singh, Country Director of Coca-Cola in Nepal shared.