BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) in the UK donated 33 oxygen concentrators to the frontline in Nepal on 28 June 2021.
Nepal is experiencing an unrelenting surge in infections and deaths from the coronavirus pandemic which has been compounded by the Delta variant. The country’s hospitals are coming under extreme pressure from shortages of oxygen and critical care beds which is severely impacting the life-saving services that its frontline health workers are providing.
BAPS has responded to this escalating crisis by facilitating the procurement and distribution of 33 portable oxygen concentrators to Noble Compassionate Volunteers (NCV) Nepal – a group of humanitarian volunteers based in the country. The donation was received at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on 28 June 2021.
NCV Nepal will work with Manisha Koirala – a Bollywood star and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Goodwill Ambassador for Nepal – to distribute these concentrators to the remote and most needful hospitals where oxygen demand is the topmost priority.
His Excellency Lokdarshan Regmi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Nepal to the United Kingdom, sent a message of appreciation for the donation. He said: “On behalf of the Embassy of Nepal and myself, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in providing lifesaving medical supplies to [the] Nepali people in fighting against Covid-19, the common enemy of the world. Your efforts in keeping humanity alive are highly appreciable. We look forward to working with you in the days ahead.”
Yadav Gautam, Chairperson at NCV Nepal, shared, “We would like to thank BAPS UK for their kind and generous donation of life-saving equipment to the people of Nepal. I personally take this as an example of great teamwork which results in the best service. We will be transferring the equipment to the respective healthcare facilities as per the guidelines provided by Ms Manisha Koirala, Mr Shanker Ghimire and the health professional team.”
Kamlesh Patel, a lead volunteer at BAPS UK, added, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the desperate situation in Nepal. We are honoured to support the people of Nepal through our fundraising efforts and we hope the oxygen concentrators will further the relief efforts to save lives. We continue to pray for the people of Nepal during this challenging time.”