By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, June 3: Expressing solidarity with Nepal in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the French Government has extended support of medical equipment and supplies to Nepal.
Francois-Xavier Leger, Ambassador of France to Nepal, handed over a planeload of shipments containing 504,000 FFP2 masks; 20,225 antigen test kits; 12,000 protection glasses; and 14 respirators including consumables to Minister for Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi at a brief ceremony held at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday morning.
Issuing a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed, on the occasion Minister Tripathi thanked the Government and people of France for their generous support of life-saving materials, which would be helpful in containing the surge of COVID-19 cases and treatment of the affected people.
He stated that the timely support from France was reflective of the longstanding Nepal-France friendship.
The medical support received today is in response to the request of the Government of Nepal to the French Government, communicated at the bilateral level as well as through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, for supporting Nepal with vaccines, medicines, equipment and supplies in the face of the deadlier second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, MoFA informed.
Likewise, a special flight carrying health equipment and supplies provided by the Government of the United Arab Emirates to support the Government of Nepal in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic, arrived Kathmandu on Wednesday morning.
According to MoFA, the shipment consisting of ventilators, trolleys, masks, coverall, gown and goggles was handed over to the representative of the Ministry of Health and Population by the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Kathmandu.
The support received is in response to the request of the Government of Nepal, MoFA added in its statement.
The Government of Nepal has expressed its gratitude to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the generous support that complements our efforts for treatment, prevention and control of the pandemic.