Kathmandu, June 14
Amnesty International, an international human rights organisation says political leaders in Nepal need to set aside their political differences and take decisive action in the coming weeks to save lives as the country endures a deadly second wave of Covid-19.
In a news briefing published on Monday, the organisation has also called on the international community to increase support to the resource-deficient country.
“While Nepal’s leaders have engaged in the infighting that has seen the country’s parliament dissolved twice in the past five months, Covid-19 has run rampant,” a press statement accompanying the briefing reads, “Nepal currently has one of the world’s highest infection rates and, in April, the country’s Ministry of Health projected an additional 300,000 cases by July.”
Stating Nepal’s infrastructure is already creaking under current caseloads, with dire shortages of oxygen, ICU beds, personal protective equipment and vaccines, the organisation says, “Right now, to save thousands of lives, Nepal’s authorities must prioritise the procurement and supply of oxygen, which until now has been held up by inaction and bureaucratic wrangling.”
“For its part, the international community must urgently provide supplies of oxygen, ventilators, vaccines and other life-saving products,” the statement adds.
