Happy Minds – an online mental health & well-being platform has gone public with the aim of delivering online mental health services.
These services will provide online counseling and therapy services to Nepali people in and outside of Nepal.
Happy minds. health is a new service launched by GG Corporation Pvt. Ltd.
It is said that these services will increase mental health awareness and provide mental health first aid.
Happy Minds, led by psychiatrist Dr. Suraj Shakya, has experienced Nepali psychologists working in Nepal, the United States, and Australia.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal, approximately 15-20% of the Nepalese population may suffer from any kind of mental illness.
This incidence is expected to have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Nepal and other countries. Bad mental health problems have been linked to a rise in suicides, domestic abuse, sexual misconduct and harassment, and other negative outcomes.
Hoping to decrease these all problems Happy Minds has come into action. If you have any concerns or needed counseling visit their site.
Cogent Health has launched an online appointment service in collaboration with E-SEWA
Cogent Health, an innovative company in the field of health information technology in Nepal has launched an online appointment service in collaboration with Nepal’s first and leading payment service provider E-Sewa.
Launched by Cogent Health, E-Appointments is a platform through which patients or other members of the public can easily book an appointment for OPD consultation with any of the doctors at the health institution affiliated with the E-Sewa app as well as pay the fee through E-Sewa.
Announcing the launch of the service, Daniel D. Shrestha, Managing Director of Cogent Health said, “We believe that this latest service integrated with health information technology and digital financial technology will lead the way in building a sustainable digital ecosystem in Nepal.”
The launch of this service will not only help hospitals and healthcare organizations but make their OPD services more accessible and systematic. And it will also help expand E-SEWA’s more than 3.5 million active users and its agent partners to more than 10 million users across the country.
In order to reduce the risk of the current Covid-19 epidemic, the general public can find the desired hospital and doctor from their home, book an appointment, and seek treatment and counseling without the risk and hassle of queuing. Currently, reputed private health institutions like Nidan Hospital, Annapurna Neuro Hospital, and BP Koirala Ophthalmology Center have joined the platform and the service is being launched in dozens of hospitals and health institutions.
Cogent Health Pvt. Ltd. is an innovative company in the field of health information technology. Cogent Health develops technology to fully digitize the management of hospitals and health institutions based on electronic medical records (EMRs). Technologies such as cogent health and e-appointments and QR payments including cogent EMR, cogent EMR web, and smart health are being used by more than 100 hospitals and health institutions across Nepal.
Riot Labz launches Oakmist plus & Oakmist mini truly Touchless Sanitizer Dispensers packed with Technology & Reliability
Kathmandu, 1st July 2020 Riot Labz today announced the launch of its Touchless Sanitizer models Oakmist plus Oakmist Mini in the Nepal Market in partnership
with Smart Ark Pvt Ltd Kathmandu, Nepal Developed in partnership with DRDO India (Government of India Defense Research Development Organization the Oakmist range aims to boost the fight against the spread of COVID 19 wherever it is deployed Oakmist is a Touchless Sanitizer dispenser which sprays alcohol-based hand rub sanitizer solution for the sanitization of hands in a completely safe contactless manner. It is ideal for use in locations that experience frequent footfalls like Offices, Hotels, Hospitals, Educational institutes, factories, etc to name a few.
On the occasion Mr. Shishir Gupta, CEO, Riot Labz stated: The Oakmist products are a result of the partnership between DRDO & Riot Labz with an aim to utilize our mutual Technological capability to launch a weapon against COVID-19 & help communities in The fight against the disease. I am glad to announce our partnership with Jubilant International that makes Oakmist available to the people of Nepal to aid in their fight Against COVID-19.
Mr. Rahul Agrawal, Director of Smart Ark Pvt. Ltd, Kathmandu stated: We at Jubilant International are elated to partner with Riot Labz, India to launch the Oakmist range of Touchless Sanitizer dispensers in Nepal. Riot Labz is well known in India for the quality & reliability of their products & we are glad to make Oakmist products available to the People of Nepal in this time of crisis.
A robot ‘dog’ in Singapore is enforcing social distancing in Singapore Park. Singapore is trying a new way to get its residents to stay away from each other.
The government of Singapore announced it would start deploying SPOT, a yellow and black canine robot, at one local park.
Boston Dynamics, a US-based engineering and robotics design company designed this four-legged machine.
‘SPOT’ has an in-built camera to monitor how busy Bishan-Ang Moh Kio Park becomes during this pandemic.
It also carries a loudspeaker to broadcast social-distancing messages.
SPOT will start patrolling the area starting this weekend and broadcast a pre-recorded message to visitors to remind them of the importance of social distancing.
SPOT will have cameras that will scan the surroundings and help officials estimate the number of people gathering in parks. However, the cameras will not be able to track and/or recognize specific individuals, and nor will it collect any personal data.
The sole purpose of deploying the robot dog is to maintain and encourage social distancing.
The government of Singapore is deploying SPOT over a 3 Km stretch in the River Plains section of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park for two weeks during off-peak hours.
SPOT will be controlled remotely to reduce the manpower for park patrols and minimizing physical contact among staff, ambassadors, and park visitors. This lowers the risk of exposure to the virus. Unlike wheeled robots, SPOT works well across different terrains and can navigate obstacles effectively. Thus, it is ideal for operation in public parks and gardens.
SPOT has safety sensors to detect objects and people in its path. It has in-built algorithms to detect an object or person within 1 meter of its proximity to avoid a collision. SPOT will be accompanied by at least one NParks officer during the trial period.
How did a country with only one major land border with Malaysia face such an effect?
The answer lies in the overlooked clusters of cases among migrant workers living in cramped dormitories. And, an underestimation of the speed at which those infections could spread through a city where lockdown measures had not been put in place.
We hope that deploying SPOT to the public places help the Singaporean government to stop the spread of the virus further.
On March 24, 2020, the Nepal Government announced a nationwide lockdown to minimize the spread of Coronavirus across the country. The National Innovation Center (NIC) started receiving calls from Bir Hospital, Teaching Hospital, BP Koirala Institute of Health Science, and others soon after the announcement of lockdown. In fact, all of the calls were in need of help to create, develop, and manufacture supplies that can help mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.
Firstly, we looked for the materials in the market that can be used to make gowns for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). We found that a material called Rubberized Taffeta Fabric is good for the gown as it is waterproof. Also, it turned out that it is reusable after putting it several times in an autoclave for disinfection. We made a couple of sample PPE gowns and showed them to different doctors. In fact, the doctors said that those gowns are very good and will be more protective. We also received suggestions and feedback from the doctors regarding the gown which helped us in redesigning and improving it into fully airproof and waterproof gowns. Apart from the production and distribution of these gowns, the following are our contribution towards the hospitals and communities across the nation.
OUR ENDEAVORS
1) Manufacture & Distributions of PPEs to Hospitals:
So far, NIC Nepal has distributed more than 5,200 PPE gowns to more than 225 Hospitals, Primary Health Care Centers, Corona Isolation Centers, and Corona Testing Hospitals of 56 districts of 7 provinces of Nepal.
With the collaboration of the local governments, we are distributing 25 to 30 PPEs to large hospitals and 15 to 20 PPEs to medium-sized hospitals. Similarly, 10 to 15 PPEs will go to Primary Health Centers/Corona Treatment Centers, and around 5 PPEs to small health clinics in the villages.
PPE sets preparation for distribution
1) Distribution of PPEs to Ambulance Drivers, Security Personnel, and Hospital Staff:
With safety being our concern, we distributed 850 PPE gowns, gloves, and surgical masks to ambulance drivers, security personnel working at Nepal India Borders, Emergency Rescue Squad, Hospital Personnel such as nurses, junior doctors, interns, cleaning staff working at the hospitals and security guards.
2) Manufacture and Distribution of Corona Booth:
We learned that hospitals in South Korea were building booths to keep the doctors and Corona patients separate safely while collecting swabs from the patients. We redesigned the booth with the materials that were available and asked engineers in different parts of Nepal to build it for the hospitals where they were treating Corona patients and collected swab for testing. So far 20 such booths have been distributed to hospitals in different parts of Nepal. More booths are being built due to more demand.
Corona Booths
1) Manufacture and Distribution of Aerosol Box:
We developed a box made from a transparent acrylic sheet, which is good for protecting the doctors from the sneeze of patients, while they are treating the patients. We named it aerosol box and we found on the Internet that hospitals in other countries are using similar boxes. Also, we have distributed 22 of those boxes to different hospitals.
Aerosol Boxes
1) Repair work of broken ventilators of different hospitals:
NIC Nepal received requests from several hospitals for help to repair their broken ventilators and medical equipment. So, we created a team of volunteers of biomedical engineers for repair operations. We found that there were 85 broken ventilators in different hospitals. 40 ventilators have been repaired so far and are in use. The biomedical volunteers are trying to fix others as well despite it being difficult to get spare parts. Also, they have managed to repair 3 broken Kidney Dialysis machines.
The repaired ventilator of hospitals
1) Developing and testing other useful devices to fight against Coronavirus:
There are other medical devices under development and test at the innovation center in order to help minimize the outbreak of Coronavirus. We came across some of these ideas and concepts from individuals who shared them on our social sites.
a. Developing disinfection boxes using UVC (Ultra-violet C) light and Hydrogen Peroxide:
Because of the acute shortage of N95 masks in the market, we have developed UVC chambers to disinfect the used N95 masks for reuse. Currently, the system is undergoing tests at Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu and at the laboratory of the Microbiology Department of Tribhuvan University.
Ultraviolet C Disinfectant Box
b. Developing masks using HEPA filter and N99 filter as alternative masks:
There is a huge shortage of N95 masks in the market. Therefore, alternative masks using the fabrics of the HEPA filter and N99 filter have been made. Researchers are testing them at the laboratory of Tilganga Eye Hospital in Kathmandu. Furthermore, it has been found that HEPA filters can filter the tiny particles like N95 masks and N99 filters perform better.
Masks made from HEPA Filter
c. Developing Emergency Ventilator (E-Vent):
Based upon the design of E-Vent made by researchers at MIT and design given by engineers of TU Delft, Netherlands, we also developed a prototype of the emergency ventilator at the innovation center. The prototypes are under testing now.
Emergency Ventilator made at the center
d. Developing robots to deliver food:
Because of demand from isolation centers at Corona hospitals, simple yet autonomous robots for delivering food and medicine have been developed and delivered to Nepal Army Hospital in Chauni, Kathmandu. More robots are in the making as per requests from BPKIHS Hospital (Dharan), Nepal Armed Police Hospital (Balambu), and Corona patient treatment centers.
Robot to deliver food and medicine at Corona treatment center
e. Developing Infrared Thermo gun:
With the request and collaboration with the local government, we are developing thermo-guns to measure the temperature of patients.
Partner Organizations:
Foundations, organizations, and individuals who have supported and collaborated with us in this mitigation campaign are listed below:
a. American Nepal Medical Foundation, USA
b. Nepal Biomedical Association
c. Protech Nepal
d. Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu
e. Bir Hospital, Kathmandu
f. Nepal Army
g. Panchakanya Group
h. Kavach Garment
I. Raymonds Tailoring
j. Call A Tailoring
k. Kishor Rimal, Rabindra Maharjan, Radheshyam Malla, DabBahadur Pun for providing vehicles for transporting materials and people.
l. There are around 22 researchers working at the innovation center for R&D and distribution⋅
2. Request for Collaboration and Support:
Individuals and organizations are welcome to collaborate for this campaign. You can contact Mahabir Pun, Chairman of National Innovation Center at [email protected] or Phone/WhatsApp/Viber at +977-9841592361.
National Innovation Center is PPEs, Corona Booth, Aerosol Box, and other essentials free of cost to the health centers. If you would like to donate for this campaign, please have a look at the following options and choose one to donate.
As aids rise from all across the globe to combat the spread and impact of global pandemic COVID-19, Coca-Cola in Nepal has pledged initial support of NPR 8 Crore towards providing support to frontline health staff, emergency workers, waste workers and those impacted the most during these uncertain times. The relief programs initiated by Coca-Cola aims at benefitting and positively impacting over 1 lakh livelihoods across the country during this unprecedented time
Coca-Cola in Nepal has adopted proactive steps to support the communities by providing immediate relief through the enhancement of health infrastructure, essential medical equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers and emergency workers who are working tirelessly to keep the country safe. Also, the Company is extending support with beverages to emergency workers and food relief packages to the impacted communities dependent on daily wages. The initiations are carried out in joint efforts with partners, NGOs, and Communities.
Coca-Cola pledges Rs. 8 crores as support to communities, to combat the impact of COVID-19 in Nepal.
An initiative to support over 1 Lakh front liners, including medical staff, emergency & security personnel, waste workers, and support livelihoods of the community at large.
Coca-Cola in Nepal has partnered with Nepal Red Cross Society and its recycling partner Creation to help communities fight against COVID-19 pandemic and support in curtailing its further spread. The Company, along with its bottling partner, Bottlers Nepal Limited (BNL), remains committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its employees, consumers, and communities during this Global crisis.
Sundeep Bajoria, Vice President Operations said,
The global COVID-19 pandemic is an extremely challenging time for all of humanity. We express our heartfelt gratitude to all heroic frontline workers who are keeping us steady during these turbulent times. Our approach to navigating the pandemic is grounded in our Company’s purpose, which ensures that we continuously strive to make a difference for people in the communities we serve around the world. In Nepal, we, along with our partners, are working towards this humble initiative to ensure the health, safety, and betterment of the livelihoods of our communities.
Temasek Foundation, a philanthropic organization under the Singapore investment company, Temasek, has provided 10,000 Fortitude Kit 2.0 to Nepal. The kits were supplied to the Nepal Army, which will be deployed by frontline health workers to test COVID-19 patients all across the country.
Singapore’s Agency designs fortitude Kit 2.0 for Science, Technology, and Research (A*START) to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is an “All-in-One’ 1-step RT-PCR kit for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The kit comes complete with all the materials required for the RT-PCR reaction, which includes the primer probes mix, the enzyme mix, the positive control, negative control, and internal control template.
Mr. Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation International, said, “In these difficult times, Temasek Foundation stands in solidarity with our friends from Nepal. We hope that these test kits will be helpful to the hospitals and medical professionals who are bravely managing the COVID-19 situation in Nepal. We will build on our on-going ties and continue to work with each other and with the international community.”
Temasek Foundation also extended its sincere gratitude to Nepal Government CCMC, Health Ministry, Civil Society members DrBijendraBaral, Ranjit Acharya, and Neil Pande for their coordination efforts. This couldn’t have been possible without the kind help of Shree Airlines and two generous private sector stalwarts MrPashupatiMurarka and MrShekharGolchha, who chartered the flight to carry the goods from Singapore.
Temasek Foundation had also helped Nepal to strengthen wall structures of public schools as part of disaster mitigation efforts back in 2014. The Foundation has been serving the nation in the time of need.
The World Health Organization said that the novel Coronavirus is ten times more deadly than swine flu, also called H1N1, which caused a global pandemic in 2009. It also calls for control measures to be lifted “slowly.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, said that the organization was continually learning about the Coronavirus sweeping the globe in a virtual briefing from Geneva.
WHO says 18,500 people died in a total of “swine flu,” or H1N1, which was first uncovered in North America in March 2009. While the Coronavirus has now killed nearly 115,000 people and infected over 1.8 million.
The Lancet, the world’s oldest and best known general medical journals, estimated the toll to be between 151,700 and 575,400 for swine-flu.
The review later published by The Lancet included estimated deaths in Africa and Southeast Asia. These were not accounted for by the WHO.
The outbreak first appeared in January 2009. And was considered over by August 2010. The flu turned out to be not as deadly as first feared it would be.
Europe, and the WHO was criticized for overreacting at a time when annual influenza epidemics killed between 250,000 and 500,000 people each year.
Talking about COVID-19, Tedros lamented on Monday that some countries are seeing a doubling of cases every three to four days. He stressed on early case-finding, testing, isolating (and) caring for every example, and tracing every contact would help reduce the virus cases in the country.
The virus is sweeping the globe, the number of cases is piling up, and more than half of the planet’s population is currently under lockdown. They are staying home following social distancing, as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus as the virus can spread from an infected person to another with close contact. Lockdown has, to some extent, helped reduce cases of COVID-19 in some countries.
He said that the COVID-19 had escalated quickly, it would decelerate slowly.
This signifies that the virus spread is much more at a faster rate than the measures that can be applied to control it. The long incubation period of the virus makes it worse.
He added that control measures could only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place. The country is safe only after proper contact tracing and isolating infected people. Lifting lockdown without taking adequate safety health measures would only make it worse. It may also bring a second wave of COVID-19 outbreak.
A vaccine of COVID-19 is nowhere in sight as it is estimated to take at least 12 to 18 months. The vaccine will be available in the whole world only after testing and production. Until then, social distancing and contact tracing can only control the transmission of the virus.
The WHO agrees that for the interruption of the transmission, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine is a must.
Have questions about COVID-19? The World Health Organization (WHO) will now answer any you have about Coronavirus. The WHO has launched a Facebook Messenger version of its WHO Health Alert platform – offering instant and accurate information about COVID-19– via Facebook’s global reach.
The World Health Organization’s Health Alert service on WhatsApp was able to reach +12 million people all over the world.
“Now, through Messenger, WHO will be able to expand their reach as they continue to provide people everywhere with important information. This is critical as widespread misinformation can create unnecessary fear and panic in this already trying time,” said the Vice President of Messenger, Stan Chudnovsky.
Messenger’s reach to 1.3 billion monthly active users will aid WHO’s effort to inform the world about COVID-19 better. This will help people protect themselves from COVID-19, prevent its spread, and understand the facts related to the disease.
One can access the WHO’s Health Alert interactive service through the WHO’s official Facebook page by selecting “Send Message” or through the dedicated Messenger link. It is now available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
The chatbot was developed in collaboration with Sprinklr, as a part of the WHO Technology for COVID-19 Initiative. It is a pro-bono collaboration of technology companies brought together by WHO specifically to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
In many regions hit hardest by COVID-19, total messaging through Facebook’s family of apps has increased by more than 50%. With this transition into Facebook Messenger, and other communication channels related to it, WHO Health Alert has the potential to reach 4.2 billion people.
The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was suggested by many against COVID-19. But the World Health Organization (WHO) says there is no evidence that the BCG vaccine protects people against infection with the COVID-19 virus.
The WHO says that two clinical trials addressing this question are underway, and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available.
Since there is no concrete evidence, the WHO does not recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19.
“There is experimental evidence from both animal and human studies that the BCG vaccine has non-specific effects on the immune system. These effects have not been well characterized, and their clinical relevance is unknown,” says WHO.
BCG vaccination prevents severe forms of tuberculosis in children, and diversion of local supplies may result in neonates not being vaccinated, increasing disease, and deaths from tuberculosis. WHO continues to recommend neonatal BCG vaccination in countries or settings with a high incidence of tuberculosis.
The number of people undergoing the tests for coronavirus tests in Kathmandu Valley has increased significantly. “The number of people visiting the hospital has reached 30 from 15”, said Dr. Sagar Raj Bhandari, the Director at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Control Hospital.
Five cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Kathmandu so far. People are scared of getting infected by a coronavirus.
The people who have returned from abroad recently are more in number among the people who visit the hospital for coronavirus tests.
The reason is that their landlords and the community are insisting for them to get tested.
“The latest case of coronavirus in Kathmandu has further spread the fear, resulting in increased visits to the hospital,” he added.
Teku-based hospitals have increased their Isolation beds and ICU sections, foreseeing their need shortly. There are now 20 ICUs and 25 Isolation beds, informed Dr. Raj Bhandari.
Sarathi is an online taxi service operating in Nepal for the past five years or more. The outbreak of corona has made them face obstacles they never faced during their five years of experience. The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in a complete shutdown of their services. And the taxi operators are themselves facing problems in managing daily livelihood due to their business being closed.
Prakash Neupane, the co-founder of Sarathi, said that people who have to get their regular health check-ups still call them for their services. As public transportation is restricted due to lockdown, people are only allowed to travel on their private vehicles. But for those who don’t own private cars, Sarathi was the only option. Neupane added that they are working on different modalities to make the service possible.
“We have also talked to our drivers living in different areas,” said Neupane. He also stated that they are in trouble.
The company has also provided PPE set to their taxi drivers marking the health of the driver as a priority. The company would provide the equipment at their own expense.
To continue their services for essential and emergency purposes, Sarathi has begun the process of obtaining approval from the government. Neupane also said that they would be providing services critical to the service recipients as soon as they get support from the government. These services are crucial, as contacting hospital ambulances for their regular treatment might not be suitable. And for those who don’t have any vehicles, this can be a great help also this can revive the economy of the taxi drivers.
As the number of corona infected people increases in Nepal, the government is concerned about the import of daily essentials, mostly health supplies. With the support of the government of China, Nepal has been importing and exporting these supplies from Tatopani Transit. The authorities of Nepal and China have now agreed to ease this trade route.
The decision was taken during a routine meeting held on 14th April between the administrative and border officials.
Chief District Officer of Sindhupalchowk, Umesh Dhakal, confirmed that the necessary health measures would be adopted during the transport of supplies. The container truck drivers, assistants, and laborers would be provided with proper protection gear during their transportation. They would require these gears as they have to get across the border to get those supplies
CDO Dhakal said that the Chinese side would bring the goods up to the customs yard next to the Miter bridge. The Nepali side would then fetch the supplies will carry it from there to the dry port of Larcha. To cross the Miteri bridge on the border, the citizens from both countries will require health certificates.
Lockdown has affected many sectors. Milk and dairy products also have been affected. Milk and dairy products of about Rs.2 billion have been damaged so far.
The Dairy Association Nepal stated that currently, dairy products of about Rs five billion are in stock because of the nationwide lockdown.
When the restaurants, hotels, dairy shops were shut down, dairy firms were also closed. No one bought milk and dairy products. The supply of milk and dairy products has reduced by 75 percent in the urban centers, said Pralhad Dahal, the general secretary of the Association.
A meeting held through a video conference with the chairs of the association chapters in seven provinces of the country today urged the government to adopt measures not to let the milk and dairy products go waste. The meeting also demanded the government to manage zero-interest loans, waive VAT and taxes in the dairy business, and for the farmers.
Dahal made a complaint that the government’s decision to exempt the house rent was not implemented in practice. He also urged the federal and state governments to include dairy products like ghee in relief packages to be provided by the government.
SAPTARI: On Tuesday, two people who returned back from Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, India showed positive results after undergoing the rapid diagnostic test (RDT).
According to Dr. Ranjit Jha, the senior consultant of Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital, Rajbiraj the samples of the two persons tested positive for coronavirus when tested through the RDT kit on Tuesday night.
There were seven people who attended the religious assembly in Delhi, India. From the seven, one each is from Tilathi Koiladi, Krishna Sawarana, Agnisair, and Bishnupur rural municipalities and 3 from Khadag municipality. All the seven performed rapid diagnostic tests and two of them tested positive. Those two belong to Khadag Municipality and Tilathi Koidali Municipality respectively, informed Dr. Chuman Lal Das, Hospital’s Medical Superintendent.
The Hospital has sent the samples of the throat swab of all the seven people to the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences Dharan for further tests. Meanwhile, the two people with positive results are in isolation at the Hospital in Rajbiraj. The remaining five have been sent to quarantine at Khadag Municipality.
Lockdown has result to delay in Annual Report from The Office of the Auditor-General. It has been 3 weeks since the country announced the lockdown. After lockdown only essential sectors and offices were only allowed to operate. Many companies and offices both private and government shutdown due to lockdown. This resulted in a delay in the annual report of the fiscal year 2018/2019.
The Office of the Auditor-General says it has failed to submit its annual report of the fiscal year 2018/19 to the president.
On-time due to the lockdown restrictions, it has been difficult to compile different reports. Hence they haven’t been able to submit a complete report although the audit of all transactions was over.
The office normally submits its report to the head of the state by the end of the first 9 months of the next fiscal year. As per the schedule, it was supposed to submit the report before 12th April.
Why is it so important?
Transparency from the government bodies helps to properly analyse the government actions and their consequences. Beside economic reports need to be reported to the officials and public. As there is a delay in the report, stakeholders are concerned that it would affect the government bodies’ commitment to transparency.
Tourism has helped a lot our nation to strengthen our country’s economy. This year, it might not be the same because of the pandemic. Nepal was ready for the grand tourism year 2020. As lockdown and travel ban has affected both domestic and international tourist visit, there is an estimation of substantial loss.
To assess the impact of the COVID crisis on the country’s tourism and other related sectors, Nepal Tourism Board has begun a survey.
The board’s Chief Executive Officer Dhananjaya Regmi says the survey will be conducted at an extensive scale. The main aim is to find out exact data about the impact of the crisis on the sector.
Currently, the board is unaware of how many companies are operational in the country’s tourism sector. The committee informs that the survey will cover eight industries in particular, namely: airlines, hotels, tourist vehicles, restaurants, rafting companies, trekking and mountaineering, travel and tourism and other activities related to tourism.
The board, after completion of the report, will provide the complete description to the government. They will also provide recommended measures to recover the loss faced due to the outbreak.
As the loss is being estimated, it seems like those new to travel agencies, hotels etc. are prone to face massive loss. Tourism entrepreneurs have determined that the sector would lose Rs 40 billion to the crisis. Not just that but the employees and businesses running in these sectors are also affected by the virus. Many have lost their jobs, and some activity has been stopped due to loss. The Hotel Association Nepal has warned that 1.1 million workers working in the field of tourism are at the risk of losing their job.
These are all the major concerning topics that NTB should take a report on and provide to the government. And the government should also act on this as soon as possible. Businesses are shutting down, and decreasing numbers of workers in this field can affect the tourist flow in the country after this crisis.
IMF announced debt relief for Nepal with 24 other countries to help them fight the economic crisis. The coronavirus outbreak has led to many businesses being shut down or stopped operating. The state backs these big or small businesses.
But when the country is itself trying hard to manage resources to fight against coronavirus who would support them?
When coronavirus has hit many big countries, the hardest, many developing countries are lucky not to have suffered the most. But with the increasing number of cases in developing nations and due to lockdowns, their economy is starting to crumble.
To prevent these countries from the economic crisis caused by the outbreak, the International Monetary Organisation on Monday has announced that it will provide immediate debt relief to Nepal and 24 other countries.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that this provides grants to most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months. And they added that it would help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts.
Under its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT), the IMF can currently provide about US$500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent US$185 million pledge by the UK and US$100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources.
As vulnerable and developing countries are facing an increase in the COVID-19 cases, a business within them is being shut down. The government is trying their best to manage resources, look upon their citizens and save their countries businesses. The IMF was established with the core purpose of helping nations in need, and they are doing so by providing debt relief to some governments. At the same time, many different countries are in support of other nations by providing them relief funds or medical assistance.
Corona virus is a respiratory virus which spreads through droplets generated by infected people. Droplets can be from coughs or sneezes, or of saliva, or discharge from the nose. Not just that these viruses can live on the surface from one hour to several days. This property of the virus makes it very dangerous and makes us realise the importance of a healthy environment.
Province 2 government reported four positive coronavirus cases in the past two days. After an increase in cases, they have identified 12 hotspots of coronavirus infection. The government has decided to take maximum precautions in these areas.
Three Indian nationals who were moving in different places of the province for the past two months and currently living in Birgunj tested positive for coronavirus. A teenage boy who arrived in a town in Rautahat district from India also tested positive for the virus.
These hotspots identified by the government are close to the border, besides the area of Birgunj where the three coronavirus positive cases were found. Saptari, where Muslim function was held two months ago, has also been identified as a hotspot. Officials are worried about getting more positive results from the area.
The Provincial government spokesperson, Internal Affairs and Law Minister Gyanendra Yadav said that they would conduct security checks and monitor these places. He added that they would seal off the area if necessary.
He also reported that security and health workers monitored the places on13th April. He expressed concern on the health of the citizens as the number of cases increases in the area.
Two out of three from a family of Sun City Apartments in Pepsi Cola, Kathmandu tested positive for novel coronavirus.
The family returned from the UK almost a month ago. When they showed the symptoms of the Coronavirus, they were admitted to the Patan Hospital.
The reports of the rapid diagnostic test showed positive results for Coronavirus on April 13. The swab test of the two of three done at the Teku-based National Public Health Laboratory showed that they had been infected with the Coronavirus.
The total number of COVID-19 infected patients in the country has reached 16, with this case.
The government is making preparations to conduct the test of the people staying in Sun City Apartments. Meanwhile, the government has sealed the Sun City Apartments, which houses more than 2,000 people. This action was taken to reduce the spread of viruses outside the apartment.
The meeting of the Council of Ministers held in Baluwatar on Tuesday afternoon concluded with the decision to extend the lockdown period till April 27.
The country has been in lockdown since March 24. It has been almost a month, but the government took this decision keeping the health of its countrymen at the top priority.
Also, taking into consideration the new COVID-19 cases reported from Kathmandu and other districts outside the valley, the government has gone for the decisions of the lockdown extensions.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) had warned all its members not to underestimate the pandemic as the outbreak could be fatal if not taken seriously.
Three new cases of coronavirus in Nepal have been reported. They are foreign returnees and have tested positive in the rapid diagnostic tests. <All three new cases were found from rapid diagnostic tests. They are foreigner returnees residing in Kavre, Dhadiing.>
Two out of three in Kavre districts returned from India and Dubai.
According to Khazenchi Bahadur Lama, the Chairperson of Ward No.5 Bethanchowk Rural Municipality, the report of a rapid test of the young man of 28 who returned from India on March 21 showed positive results. Je was sent to Dhulikhel Hospital for further check.
According to him, the young man, along with three others, had come from Goa, India. However, his two friends’ reports came negative.
Another case where a young man of Mandan Deupur Municipality tested positive is also referred to Dhulikhel Hospital for confirmation.
Dil Bahadur Tamang, the Chairperson of Ward No. 3, said,” The young man had stayed at home for two days and was later sent to the municipality’s quarantine.” He added,” They are planning to conduct tests of other four members of the youth’s family.”
The last of the three who were reported to test positive is from Dhading district. The man from Jwalamukhi Rural Municipality, who returned to Nepal from South Korea on March 3, has tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid test. He is currently in self-quarantine. The medics are planning to send him to Kathmandu for confirmation.
After the lockdown, in most households, all the family members are present. Offices of parents are closed, and so are the colleges of the children. While most family members are staying free in their house, it is not the same in the case of women. Many women are still busy with their so-called “gender roles.” It has become a complaint in many families that the male members of the family are mostly active with their mobile phones and TV whereas there are women who are doing all the household work.
This unhealthy practice of piling up household work to the women and not helping them do not just prevail in villages. In most of the houses in the city, we can still see these practices.
Why does this system still prevail in society?
Anisha Bhattarai, an anthropologist, associated with Social Science Baha, observes that though the Nepali society has undergone various changes in the community, traditional gender roles are intact. “Patriarchal cultural notion that household chores fall only under the women’s domain is still prevalent dominantly in our society, and unless these notions change consciously, from within the practitioners, both male and female, there would not be any major change in the gender dynamics.”
Gender activist Sanjog Thakuri states the primary factor that contributes to the continuation of traditional gender roles is the socialization process.
He exemplifies this process, “When a boy sees her mother doing all the kitchen and household works like cooking, dishes, and laundry, he also observes that her mother is only engaging and teaching his elder or younger sisters in the family about these works. He grows up with the idea that ‘this is not my work’ and acts accordingly.”
As this is rooted in the children’s psyche since their childhood, he explains that it would be challenging to change the habit.
Rachana Upadhyaya, a researcher at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Studies, seconds Thakuri. She states, “How you perform your gender roles is determined by how one is brought up in and outside the home. These are ingrained within you.”
Men not wanting to add extra burden to their already occupied mind can be another reason they do not take part in domestic work. If they wish to contribute to the kitchen, they have to learn how to cook and clean the mess. Why would they bother doing so when someone is already doing so? This happens especially when they are grown thinking it is a woman’s job, says Bhattarai.
The desire within the men to maintain the supremacy or power that they think they have over women in the patriarchal social structure is considered as another reason why men do not try to engage in domestic work.
How can this be stopped?
Gender roles that have been prevailing in society can’t just change overnight. The system which has been passing since generations can be changed if people have the desire to do so, says Upadhyaya.
As there is lockdown implemented and most occupations closed, Thakuri feels that this can be the right opportunity to engage the children (both boys and girls) in the family in household chores. Focusing on boys mostly, make them learn, practice, and continue this for a lifetime. They need to be taught that all the responsibilities should be shared between them equally.
As these practices have been prevailing due to the way of growing up teh children, why not end this by following proper kids growing habits and environment. Both parents should also try to work in household sectors so that their children can learn from their parents.
It is no time to step away from household work, making excuses of having office work or assignments to complete. It is time to change the worst stereotype rooted inside people’s minds and once and for all. By teaching our children, we can change what had to be replaced long ago.
As the number of people infected by coronavirus increases, governments are trying their best to minimize its spread. The government has now listed 111 hospitals for the treatment of coronavirus patients. 11 more hospitals have been added to the previous list. Any patients confirmed with or suspected of coronavirus can get treatment in these hospitals. The list includes both government-run and private hospitals. The government has categorized them into different groups assigning different responsibilities. The list includes 25 hub hospitals and 64 provincial hospitals.
How is the government letting private hospitals to treat coronavirus patients?
The Ministry of Health and Population released an interim directive on the management of COVID-19 treatment. The directive specifies the rights, roles, and responsibilities of these hospitals. With this directive, the government has expected to work along with private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment. As many news reports reported that private hospitals were refusing to treat suspected coronavirus patients, this directive can make them responsible for treating the patients.
Besides these health posts and hospitals will continue their regular health services. If you and any regular treatment to be performed in hospitals you can visit them. But, the government has requested to not visit hospitals if there is no emergency or for minor accidents.
Apple and Google have worked together and announced technology for tracking the spread of the Coronavirus. The app is a Bluetooth-based COVID-19 contact tracing platform. It alerts people if they’ve been near the people who were infected with the virus.
The main motive/ goal of the app is to track down the people infected by Coronavirus and the people with who they have been in contact. Apple and Google are using Bluetooth LE signals for contact tracing.
What is contact tracing, and why is it important?
Contact tracing is one of the new ‘interventions that can be used to control virus outbreaks effectively. Contact tracing is a massive component in ending the mass pandemic. Contact tracing with the traditional method can be both time consuming and hard. Surely tracing the infected persons every step is hard. But what if we discover the electronics which the person carries everywhere with them.
What can it be? Smartphones? Yes, yes, smartphones. We tend to bring smartphones to every place we visit.
Using their smartphone, we can trace people’s movements and people they have contact with, and this is what Google and Apple are working for. While phone tracking can’t replace traditional methods like interviews, it can supplement them.
How does this work?
When two people are near to each other, so are their smartphones. Their phone during close contact exchanges an anonymous identification key, recording that they’ve had close contact. The system later informs you if a person you have been in close contact with has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The system will notify other users they’ve been close to, so those people can self-quarantine if necessary. Ideally, this means you won’t have to reveal your name, location, or other personal data.
The new technology will send information once the mobile user comes into contact with the Coronavirus infected person.
However, the technology will not record GPS location data or individual information.
Earlier on Friday, the two tech -giants agreed to work together to aid the world struggling against the pandemic.
On Monday, April 13, two new coronavirus cases were reported. The total number of confirmed cases in Nepal so far has reached 14.
According to the Ministry for Health and Population, “a 65-year-old woman from Kailali and a 19-year-old youth from Rautahat have tested positive.”
Previously, from the rapid diagnostic test, she was found negative when she was in a 14-day quarantine. But when her swab was sent to Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory for an examination. It was reported positively. The woman runs a small business in Birgunj.
The government is trying hard to trace the contact of the people who came in touch with them. So far, Kailali has the highest number of COVID-19 patients with six, while Parsa has three. Baglung and Kathmandu have equal two and one in Rautahat.
14 Nepalis death, 675 infected from coronavirus in the diaspora
According to the report from NRNA (Non-Resident Nepali Association), a total of 14 Nepalis have died from COVID-19 in the foreign land to date. The 14 deaths include eight from the UK, 5 in the USA, and 1 in the UAE.
675 Non- Resident Nepalis have tested positive for the novel virus. Among them, more than 500 Nepalese are infected in the USA and more than 100 in the UK, said NRNA.
18 The virus has infected Nepalis residing in Spain, 22 in Portugal, and 4 in Germany. In Australia, 9 Nepali citizens were found infected. In the Middle East, where most Nepali workers tend to go for labor, ten from UAE, four from Saudi Arabia, and five from Kuwait tested positive. Japan, Malaysia, and Hongkong also reported one each Nepali citizen infected by the virus in each country
NRNA has been collecting data from other nations as well. It has also started the helpline to assist the Nepalis living away from Nepal.
Sharing free PPE to the ambulance driver, Mahabir Pun asked for a substantial amount. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is one of the essential gear that every health worker requires. As these workers work close to the infectious patient, they are more prone to getting infected by the virus. Among the health workers also come the ambulance drivers who work hard for the sick to reach the hospitals. Ambulance drivers aren’t immune to the virus. Ambulance crews requested protective gear.
The National Invention Center will provide free PPE to ambulance drivers of Kathmandu Valley.
“Ambulance drivers in Kathmandu should come to Tribhuvan University Kirtipur by taking an ambulance with a license,” said Pun. I was adding that PPE will be available from Monday.
Pun has informed that PPE is available only to ambulance drivers within the Kathmandu Valley.
National Invention Centre needs Financial Help
In the meantime, Pun said that a loan of Rs 7 lakh is required for a loan during the lockdown period.
“There is a financial shortage for making PP and other materials. If anyone wishes to give us cash or who can look for a loan, please let us know,” he said, “it is a loan, not charity.”
He informed us that the expenditure for making PIPE was coming from the invention center. He told us that the center received Rs.
One of the signatories of the center is outside Kathmandu, that’s why they are currently looking for seven million cash loans to buy and make goods.
Till now, the total expenditure for making PPE is carried out by the National Invention Centre itself. They have received Rs.15 lakh and 4 thousand and donation Rs. Five lakhs and 5 thousand loans.
“After a notice was issued, of the cash sought to make PPE and other items to tackle Coronavirus, Rs. 4 lakh out of cash Rs. 7 lakh is a loan and Rs. 3 lakh is a donation,” he said.
Get authentic information on COVID-19 from Digital Advantage’s COVID-19 Info Bot on Messenger. The outbreak of Coronavirus, COVID-19, is a hot topic on the internet. The officials and networking sites are concerned about the spread of misinformation on COVID-19. They have been dealing with a massive pool of information. A user can not only get authentic information but fake news as well. This false information might sound ridiculously accurate or more enjoyable. As a result, people tend to share these things more rather than a true story. This helps spread misinformation and creates confusion for the general public.
Corona Info Bot
While officials are doing their part to provide people with accurate information Digital Advantage has come up with a new Info bot. The Corona Info Bot keeps everyone informed about the official information. And information related to what to do in case of an emergency.
How does the Corona Info Bot work?
Well, you might have heard about the bot in many cases either in Reddit or Discord and in popular video games like PUBG. Bot are simply computer algorithms that run automated tasks over the Internet.
In the case of Corona Info Bot launched by Digital Advantage, the bot helps to provide authentic information of COVID-19. The bot includes necessary information about coronavirus as well as links to the official sources such as websites, hotline numbers, Viber Group, etc.
The bot is exceptionally efficient and easily accessible, as this bot is based on the messenger app. The purpose is to get all the people to receive official and accurate news. The bot will provide you the website and links you can visit to get the information and also offer new details on COVID-19.
Our nation is under a three-week lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Nepalis have been disregarding the lockdown imposed by the Government and are walking on the streets.
When the question is asked, “Why are Nepalis doing this?”
Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, a psychologist, said it is out of curiosity. This is the first time Nepal has ever set a nationwide lockdown. They want to see how empty the highways look or that there are no people in the otherwise busy streets.
He also pointed out that people tend to feel smart by violating the rules and regulations. The same thing is happening with Nepalis, and the Government imposed lockdown.
According to Budhathoki, “Most of the people boast about how they went out, and the police did not punish them or that the disease didn’t infect them.”
People still have orthodox thinking that nothing wrong will happen to them. They step out of their houses without worrying about their health or the deadly disease that might infect them.
However, there are some instances when people have some compulsions and emergencies. Thus, we cannot fault them who step out amidst the lockdown.
As the country is managing resources to combat COVID-19 spread, many companies are supporting the government with donations. On Thursday, the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) donated Rs. Five hundred million to the government fighting against the pandemic. NOC handed over the check bearing the amount to the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers officially donating the amount.
A meeting of the NOC Board of Directors on Wednesday had decided to donate Rs 500 million to the government’s Coronavirus Infection Prevention, Control, and Treatment Fund.
PPE sets preparation for distribution
