Nepal heading towards India-like Covid disaster

KATHMANDU: Amid an ongoing second wave of the pandemic, Nepal is heading towards an India-like Covid disaster as at least 14 infected patients died in hospitals due to lack in oxygen supply.

The second wave in Nepal has led to under serious oxygen shortages, as well as an unabated spike in the number of daily Covid cases.

The mortality rate is also high like in India.

According to the Kathmandu Post, of the 14 patients, 11 died at the Corona Special Hospital in Butwal, while three others passed away in the Bhairahawa-based Bhim Hospital.

At least a dozen hospitals in Kathmandu have stopped taking in new Covid patients due to shortage of oxygen.

"The required oxygen supply is running out, we tried to sustain it yesterday but we are now helpless, we do not have more stock now," Santosh Poudel, Director at Bir Hospital Trauma Center wrote on Facebook.

The hospital is treating over 105 Covid patients.

After failing to provide oxygen supply, the government has now fixed a quota system to the hospitals.

The Nepal Medical Association (NMA) on Wednesday warned that the Himalayan nation's health system is on the brink of collapse and asked the government to issue a "red alert" across the country.

"Several patients are unable to come hospitals, those who have reached hospitals are not getting treatment, we are forced to return them back due to lack of bed, ICUs, ventilators and many are dying in hospitals due to the lack of oxygen and other medical facilities," the NMA said in a letter sent to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other high-government officials.

Like in India, now people are seeking help and support for bed, ICU, ventilators, oxygen, plasma, medicine on social media platforms.

Nepal has so far reported 422,349 coronavirus cases and 4,252 deaths.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Oli wrote an article for the Guardian, seeking help for Nepal's fight against Covid.

"As I write this, my country is battling a new and brutal wave of the Covid-19 pandemic... The rise in the number of infections poses a serious challenge to our brave doctors, nurses, other care providers, citizen volunteers and the entire health service system." IANS

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