108 cr Indian Aid to Nepal

Kathmandu, Oct 27 (UNI) India is providing Nepali Rs 108 crore for a 200 bed Nepal Bharat Maitri Emergency&Trauma Centre at Bir Hospital, Kathmandu, the Indian Embassy today said.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee today inaugurated the project in a gesture aimed at enhancing the already existing entente cordial.

The eight- storey trauma Centre will be second of its kind in SAARC countries, and the first outside India. It will add to the existing emergency services being provided by Bir Hospital, which is among the oldest civil hospitals in Nepal and is located in the heart of the Capital. It was sanctioned as a 300-bed hospital in 1967 and now has 458 beds.

The Trauma Centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment. Implementation of the above project would go a long way in improving emergency services at Bir Hospital, a press release of the Indian Embassy said.

In the Health Sector, India has been associated with the construction/expansion work in case of Paropkar Hospital, Bir Hospital and Police Hospital, all at Kathmandu. Since the last 23 years, India has also been assisting in Goitre Control through the supply of iodised salt to Nepal and transportation subsidy to the remote districts.

Besides, ambulances were also gifted to Nepal Red Cross Society and other community government organisations. As of today, 40 Indian Doctors from various prestigious Medical Institutions of India are on deputation to B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences imparting medical education to the MBBS students. The B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences itself was established with Indian assistance worth over Rs 100 crore.

Government of India also assists in cataract and trachoma treatment in Nepal that cures 12,000 patients per annum, the press release said.

Currently the bilateral cooperation programme between the two countries is witnessing the realisation of 158 projects in education, health and infrastructure sectors in all the 65 districts of Nepal with an outlay of N Rs 2,000 crore.

UNI XC MQA MSJ HT2312