Since the beginning of April 2021, Nepal has been battling a harsh second wave of Covid-19. Over the past month, cases of Covid-19 in Nepal have been declining, with many hoping that the country had finally turned a corner in the fight against the virus. However, the true extent of the Covid-19 situation in Nepal is still largely unknown due to limited testing capacity. It is feared that the number of confirmed cases is significantly lower than actual cases. Much of Nepal remains under-resourced, both in terms of testing capacity and vaccine access and the weak healthcare system is unable to cope under such constant strain.

A recent article published by the Nepali Times states that deaths from Covid-19 are far higher in remote villages than in urban areas, impacting many of the regions PHASE Worldwide support. It states, Public health experts blame the limited health care facilities in rural Nepal including ICUs, ventilators, drugs and oxygen for Covid-19 treatment for this huge discrepancy. They also have notably fewer doctors, nurses and other paramedics. Back in June, the Ministry of Health and Population distributed rapid antigen tests amongst rural communities, which caused detected cases in those areas to increase from 0.4% in May, to 25%. This shows that cases may in fact be far higher than originally stated, but a lack of testing makes it almost impossible to retrieve a true figure.

Whilst the situation in the UK is gradually improving due to our efficient vaccination programme, the same cannot be said of Nepal. Nepal launched its vaccination campaign at the beginning of 2021 and as of 30th September 2021, 13.4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, but only 23.5% of the countrys roughly 30 million people had been fully vaccinated. Until rates of vaccinations in Nepal increase, thousands of people remain under threat, particularly those living in the remote rural areas in the Far West, where health facilities are already struggling.

Right now, Nepal needs help to fight the virus, but will continue to need our support for many years to come as the country slowly begins to recover. We are asking the public to donate to help raise funds for our work strengthening healthcare systems and ensuring that everyone everywhere, can access essential healthcare.

Nepal needs your help now, more than ever. Covid-19 is pushing an already weak healthcare system to its limits and is causing unnecessary suffering to thousands of vulnerable people. Please support us if you can. Thank you.