Nepal’s migrant workers in West Asia, who were left largely to fend for themselves by their government when the pandemic hit last year, have come to the rescue of their homeland which is being ravaged by a fierce second wave.
Nepali migrant workers in the Gulf region collectively raised money to rush 560 oxygen cylinders which arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday evening on a Nepal Airlines flight from Muscat.
Nepal’s hospitals have run out of beds and medical oxygen as the total active cases in the country reached 110,000. On Saturday, 8,167 new cases were recorded, and there were 187 deaths. Many patients are dying while waiting for oxygen. Nearly 8,000 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the country with 1,331 of them in ICU and 370 in ventilator support.
Overseas Nepalis have rushed to raise money and provide material support for the beleaguered healthcare system back home. Saturday’s shipment of cylinders was part of an effort led by the Non-Resident Nepalese Association (NRNA) Oman on behalf of the NRNA Middle East and supported by Nepal’s Ambassador to Oman Sarmila Parajuli Dhakal. The Nepal government covered the flight cost.
The total cost to buy the cylinders and send it to Nepal was $64,000. So far, 187 individuals and organisations have raised close to $12,500 with donations ranging from $3-$1,300 in Oman. Another $28,618 has been raised with contributions from over 50 migrant groups, Nepali businesses and individuals in Qatar.
“This is part of an NRNA campaign in the Middle East, under the slogan ‘Send oxygen to Nepal and save lives of our relatives’. We recently initiated the effort and expect to raise more funds in the coming days,” says Qatar-based Nepali Kareem Baksh Miya.
Similarly, a little over $10,000 has been raised from 150 Nepalis in Kuwait, “During the first wave, we were so overwhelmed supporting stranded Nepalis in Kuwait that we did not have the bandwidth to focus on Nepal,” says Hom Nath Giri of NRNA NCC Kuwait, who has been stuck in Nepal due to the current flight ban.
Giri likens the current situation to the 2015 earthquake when Nepalis overseas scrambled to support those affected back home. He adds: “But unlike during the earthquake monetary support isn’t sufficient this time, and it has been quite challenging to procure oxygen cylinders due to the increased demand.”
Similar fundraising initiatives are ongoing in other Gulf states as part of the NRNA campaign. Nepali overseas workers are also already propping up Nepal’s economy with remittances in the nine months this fiscal year 16.5% higher than the same period last year.
The help from overseas Nepalis this year is in direct contrast to the situation this time last year, when stranded Nepalis in the Gulf pleaded with the Nepal government for repatriation. But they only got lukewarm response, despite often being hailed as the backbone of Nepal’s economy.
Even at the height of the pandemic, officials back home were in disagreement about the eligibility of undocumented migrants unable to afford tickets home. Moreover, the guideline for repatriation support was so complicated only 200 of the documented workers benefited from the scheme. Following their return home last year, despite promises of reintegration, many returnees did not get help.
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar have extended support to India in their fight against the pandemic. But such help has not been forthcoming to Nepal, and this has been seen as a failure of Nepali diplomacy.
However, Sewa Lamsal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu says that the government has sent letters to its missions in West Asia with requests for medical equipment, oxygen cylinders, PPEs and other essentials.
“These things take time to arrange and have been further delayed because of Eid,” she added. “There are positive indications of support. We just don’t have the specific details yet regarding what and when, but it should be sorted out soon. Continuous efforts are underway.”
A senior government official blames inadequate diplomacy and political distractions in Nepal for the lack of urgency in seeking international help. Nepal finally appointed an ambassador to South Korea on Friday after two years, and the government could have reached out to Malaysia, which is among the biggest medical equipment manufacturers in the world and where there are 375,000 Nepali workers.
He says: “Ambassadors should be able to build strong relationships with governments that go beyond formal exchanges. More often than not, that is not the case because they are political appointments, competence isn’t valued and complacency is seldom punished. More active diplomacy could have gone a long way during this emergency.”
from Nepali Times https://ift.tt/3uS344D
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment