Lifesaving healthcare for remote farming villages

After a period of relatively low new Covid infections, Doctors in the country of Nepal were cautiously hoping the end of Covid was in sight. Then came the news that India was suffering a new, violent and fast expanding wave of Covid infections. As Nepal shares open borders with India it seemed only a matter of time before their population as well would be under siege again. Just a month ago Nepal, a nation of 31 million people was reporting about 100 Covid-19 cases a day. Last Tuesday it reported 9,483 new cases and 225 virus-related fatalities, the highest single-day death toll since the pandemic began. Scenes in India, of funeral pyres and people queuing outside hospitals, are being replicated in Nepal, where hospitals are running out of oxygen and turning away patients.

Our small hospital in Rajbash is overflowing with patients. 9 staff members out of a total of 12 are battling Covid and are in isolation. A teacher at the nearby school already died (a significant loss in this small village) and we are worried about more casualties. The hospital desperately needs more beds to accomodate newly infected patients needing isolation. We are also in dire need of oxygen and Covid tests, which are in extremely short supply since India, a major supplier of both, has stopped exporting to other countries as their own need is so great right now. 

While the government has had a dismal record of managing the pandemic (the prime minister has been forced to resign), they did commit to send a nurse and two more medical staff to Rajbash to help us through this challenging time.

We will keep you informed on this evolving tragedy as we receive updates from our friends in Nepal.  Thank you to all who have been a part of this vital project.

Links:

• http://dcwcnepal.org.np