Park Chong-suk, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal, handed over 94 units of oxygen concentrators to Umesh Shrestha, State Minister of Health and Population.

Similarly, KOICA-KAAN donated 3 units of Oxygen Concentrator to Methinkot Hospital. The Republic of Korea supported about $604,500 worth of oxygen concentrators to Nepal via KOICA (total 378 Units of Oxygen Concentrator).

This handover was carried out to support Nepal’s COVID-19 responses through KOICA’s development projects in Nepal in addition to the donation from the KOICA Alumni Association of Nepal (KAAN). However, the remaining 281 units of oxygen concentrators shall be handed over to Nepal by the end of September 2021.

According to a press release, KOICA decided to support these oxygen concentrators based on the request of the Ministry of Health and Population due to the acute shortage of oxygen supply during the second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal. It is a 9 liters per minute capacity high flow oxygen concentrator manufactured in the USA.

Out of these 378 oxygen concentrators KOICA plans to provide 280 units to MoHP, 3 units Methinkot Hospital through KAAN, 15 units to Nepal Korea Friendship Municipality Hospital, 10 units to Trishuli Hospital, 25 units to Kathmandu University, 25 units to Dhulikhel Hospital, 15 units to Tikapur Hospital and 5 units to Mugu Hospital.

At the handover ceremony, the Ambassador expressed that Korea has always considered Nepal as one of its close friends and has always extended its supportive hands to Nepal. He added that Korea will continue its support in various sectors of Nepal’s development. He expressed his hope that each of these pieces of equipment will be dispatched to the hospitals where they are most needed and effectively utilized.

At the event, Minister thanked the Ambassador and the Government of the Republic of Korea for such meaningful support. He stressed that the support from the Republic of Korea shall be distributed very carefully only to those hospitals having a shortage of oxygen supply. He also expressed that such support will continue in the future as well.

The Government of the Republic of Korea through KOICA been supporting Nepal since the initial spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. KOICA has already supported $726,000 worth of support for Nepal’s COVID-19 response since 2020, which includes more than 57,000 complete sets of RT PCR test kits and COVID-19 protection materials such as PPE, mask, sanitizer, surgical gloves, thermometers to various hospitals in need of support.