Kathmandu: The Britain-Nepal Academic Council (BNAC) has written to the UK’s Secretary of State of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State urging them for urgent support to Nepal given the flaring second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
The letter stated, “The executive committee of the Britain-Nepal Academic Council urges the UK government to take urgent action to support the government of Nepal in the face of the humanitarian crisis which is unfolding due to the devastating second wave of Covid-19 in South Asia.”
BNAC wrote the letter following the urgent call for international support issued by PM K P Sharma Oli, published in the Guardian on May 10. A round table discussion was held by the council on May 12 in the presence of public health experts in Nepal and the UK.
As Nepal has a poor health care system and the average positivity rate for the last two weeks has been around 45 percent, the letter mentioned, the risks are becoming a major humanitarian crisis.
According to BNAC, the UK has ordered 517 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, out of which, it will have a surplus of 400 million after vaccinating its citizens over 18s. “We would urge that some of this is set aside for Nepal.”
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