India's neighboring country Nepal is also getting caught in the clutches of the second wave of the Coronavirus.
In this small country with a population of about three crores, till last month, about 100 cases of infection were being registered in one day, but now there are about 10,000 cases a day.
According to Nepal's Health Ministry, 9,127 new cases of infection and 139 deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours there.
Since the epidemic started, a total of around 4000 people have died there so far. The number of deaths has increased rapidly in recent weeks.
The total number of cases of infection is more than 4 lakh 37 thousand.
Like India, the second wave is catching young people in Nepal. The maximum number of infected people in Nepal is between 20 and 40 years of age.
Senior Nepalese journalist Surendra Fuyal told BBC Hindi, "Most of Nepal is under lockdown, but still the cases of infection are increasing rapidly. There is a patient in almost every house. Hospitals are struggling to provide treatment to people and to give oxygen to patients who are having difficulty in breathing. ”
He explains, "Long rows of dead bodies are being seen at Pashupatinath Aryaghat. I have also started to see that every hour a helicopter is bringing or carrying a Covid patient from outside Kathmandu. These are disturbing scenes. "
The last rites of those who lost their lives from Covid are being performed on the banks of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu. In the last few days, the number of deaths started coming in double digits. Now, this number has changed to hundreds.
Creaking health system
India's health infrastructure is considered to be better than at least Nepal, which has been submerged in the second wave of Corona. In such a situation, concerns are very high about the health infrastructure of Nepal.
According to the Government Covid-19 response plan of last May, the country has only 1,595 intensive care beds and 480 ventilators for a population of three crores. There is also a shortage of doctors. According to World Bank data, there are only 0.7 Physicians per one lakh people. Which are less than 0.9 of India.
According to official data released on May 10, 6,715 people in Nepal are in institutional isolation. 910 patients are in ICU and 295 patients are on ventilators. At the same time, 1618 people are in isolation in the Kathmandu Valley and 176 in ICU, and 95 ventilators.
But many people who are isolated at home and are unable to get beds or treatment in the hospital are also struggling with low levels of oxygen. According to the data of May 10, 86,426 people are in home isolation across the country.
On May 8, it was informed by the Health Emergency Operation Center of Nepal that there is a shortage of hospital beds in 22 of the 77 districts of the country.
Nepal's Health Ministry said in a statement last week that the situation is becoming uncontrollable. The statement said, "The cases of infection have increased so much that they have gone beyond the control of the health system. It has become difficult to provide beds in hospitals. "
With this, Nepal's vaccination rate is also very low. By the end of last month, only 7.2% of the population could get at least one dose of the vaccine.
Patients struggling with beds and lack of oxygen
Nepal's hospitals do not have beds for growing patients. Oxygen is getting depleted.
Many family members say that his patient's life was lost because he could not find the oxygen cylinder. Even the large private hospitals in the capital Kathmandu are not able to handle the increasing number of serious patients. They are saying that oxygen and cylinders are running out of them.
More than half of the daily cases are being registered in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur. The highest number of cases are coming up in the capital Kathmandu. So far, the highest number of 863 deaths have also taken place there.
According to Nepal Times, the family and friends of the patients have been running in the city and are trying to get oxygen saved or refill cylinders from oxygen manufacturers and pharmacies for them.
Many hospitals have said that if oxygen supply is not increased, they will not recruit more patients of Covid-19. The Ministry of Health had on Saturday issued notices to 10 oxygen manufacturers (mostly from Kathmandu Valley), blaming them for mis-delivery of oxygen for the current crisis and said that without the letter of the Ministry, they could not be given any government, private or The community hospital will not give oxygen.
This decision of the government was opposed by private hospitals and said that the decision will increase the difficulties of private and community hospitals and they will have to waste time in many government permissions for life-saving gas.
The oxygen plants of Kathmandu produce about eight thousand cylinders of oxygen in a day. But manufacturers say that the current demand has exceeded their capacity. The manufacturers have stopped giving oxygen to anyone without a letter since Sunday.
The Association of Private Health Institutions of Nepal, a group of private hospitals, says, "Government hospitals do not have beds, private hospitals have beds but due to the government's decision, they are unable to provide services when there is a shortage of oxygen." Till now we were laying lines outside the oxygen plant. Now we have to put a line in the ministry for the letter of the government. "
On Saturday afternoon, oxygen was exhausted in the installment hospital, there were 50 Covid patients here. To save the lives of the patients, oxygen had to be taken from a government hospital.
But the government argues that the letter of the Ministry of Health has been made mandatory so that the problem of lack of oxygen can be dealt with properly.
The government has now said that this disease can be avoided only by taking measures like masks, sanitizers, and living at home. But after standing up to the government and saying that citizens should take care of themselves, local communities and neighbors are preparing their isolation wards and oxygen banks.
Several independent youth groups are also campaigning to raise oxygen cylinders for the needy. People associated with '100's group' are trying to find industrial oxygen users in the Kathmandu Valley and take oxygen from them and then deliver it to the sick patients. Social workers are offering help through social media and sharing some phone numbers.
The government has asked the industries that use oxygen to either stop its use or reduce it.
Bablu Gupta Nepali of 100’s group wrote on his Facebook page, “The leaders are safe in their homes, while the youth are going out and risking their lives and distributing oxygen cylinders. We know that we can also be infected, but the life of another is also life. "
The 'Hamro Team Nepal' group is also working to deliver free oxygen to some hospitals in Kathmandu day and night.
Last week, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) warned that the Coronavirus cases in Nepal should rise to alarming levels.
The head of the Nepal Red Cross, Dr. Netra Prasad Timasina, said in a statement that if we are not able to control the present situation in Corona, then the same will happen in Nepal.
The institution had said that several hospitals in Nepal, especially those in the southern towns bordering the Indian borders, have been filled and a large number of Covid-19 patients are coming there. The organization warned that if the virus continues to spread in such a country, then there is a fear of a large number of deaths.
What is the Nepal government doing
According to the Kathmandu Post, Nepal's Health Minister after criticism said that the administration is working on increasing the number of beds and the government has not given up.
Health workers who have gone on long holidays are being recalled. At the same time, retired medical staff has also been told by the Nepal Army that they should be ready to come.
The District Covid Crisis Management Center has advised extending the lockdown by another 15 days in the Kathmandu Valley. The exams of 10th and 12th have been canceled till further orders.
Nepal's Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi had said in an interview to the media last week that the government was in talks to import 40 thousand cylinders from the United Arab Emirates and South Korea. Nepal sent one of its jet aircraft to bring 800 oxygen cylinders and other medical equipment on Monday.
According to the information shared on Nepal's foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali's Twitter handle, the necessary medical supplies donated by China have been handed over to the Nepal ambassador.
Nepal is seeking international help. Moti Lal Duggar, Special Economic Advisor to PM Oli said in a conversation with the media, the government is asking to increase wards in private and government hospitals. Government buildings are being used as isolation wards.
According to him, Nepal is making a large number of masks, sanitizers, ventilators, and efforts are being made to train many doctors to treat Covid patients. But there are also challenges related to manufacturing. Nepal is heavily dependent on India for raw materials. India is battling on its own.
However, according to him, Nepal has signed a deal for the vaccine from Russia. 2 million Sputnik V vaccines have been called for and negotiations are also underway with India and China for the Covid vaccine. The government's goal is to get at least 60 to 70 percent of the population vaccinated by the end of the year.
Although the problem of Nepal does not end here, Nepal is also grappling with a political crisis, which is leading the country towards an economic crisis. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli lost the trust vote on Monday, after which there has again been political instability.
Nepal's political future hanging in the balance seems to have weakened her hopes of dealing with Corona.
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