KOICA-Supported County Hospital Designated as Facility for Responding to COVID-19 Spread in Nepal

Installation of 10 Isolation Beds at Nepal Government's Request, Prioritized for COVID-19 Response
KOICA Anticipates Securing Medical and Public Facilities for Nepal COVID-19 Quarantine

Exterior view of Nuwakot District Hospital, Nepal

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The medical facility newly constructed by KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) in Nepal has become a frontline base actively responding to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) locally.

KOICA announced on the 1st that the Nepalese government has installed and is operating a temporary ward for isolating suspected COVID-19 patients at the Nuwakot District Hospital, located 75 km west of the capital Kathmandu, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Nepal closed Tribhuvan International Airport on March 21 to control entry and exit. After the second confirmed COVID-19 case, a nationwide curfew has been enforced from March 24 to April 7 to respond to the infectious disease spread.

Although the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nepal is relatively low compared to other countries, local medical facilities are poor, and close contacts of confirmed patients have not been clearly identified, posing many risk factors. Therefore, securing adequate medical facilities and public accommodation facilities to prevent and contain COVID-19 spread was urgent in Nepal. However, the Nuwakot District Hospital, which was nearing completion, was designated as a COVID-19 response hospital, enabling the Nepalese government to seek active treatment and prevention measures for confirmed COVID-19 patients.

The Nuwakot District Hospital in Nepal was built to rebuild Nepal’s medical and health system collapsed by the 2015 Nepal earthquake. KOICA supported $9 million from 2015 to construct the hospital with a total floor area of 3,340㎡ and three stories. According to the original plan, the first floor was to house the emergency room and outpatient ward, the second floor the operating room, intensive care unit, and dental clinic, and the third floor the hospital offices, with general patient treatment scheduled to begin at the end of March.

However, considering the urgency of COVID-19 response, KOICA and the Nepalese government decided to prioritize operating an isolation ward with 10 isolation beds within the new hospital. Accordingly, the hospital’s central oxygen supply facility (Oxygen Plant) is actively used to treat patients with respiratory instability. Since the isolation ward began operation, two suspected patients were admitted by March 31, demonstrating the effectiveness of KOICA’s emergency response. KOICA and the Nepalese government are also considering adding more isolation wards depending on the patient occurrence status in the area.

Ko Sung-hoon, head of KOICA Nepal Office, said, “I feel honored to provide urgent support not only for rebuilding Nuwakot’s medical facilities destroyed by the 2015 earthquake but also for responding to COVID-19,” adding, “I hope this hospital built by KOICA will become a source of hope for the Nepalese people suffering from low road access in mountainous terrain and chronic shortages of medical facilities and personnel.”

Dr. Rai Kumar Ram, head of Nuwakot District Hospital, expressed gratitude, saying, “In this global crisis caused by COVID-19, KOICA’s active cooperation and support bring reassurance,” and “We thank KOICA for supporting modernized medical facilities in Nepal.”

Meanwhile, after the COVID-19 situation stabilizes, the Nuwakot District Hospital plans to hold a completion ceremony and officially open. As the largest and most modern hospital in Nuwakot District, it is expected to provide high-quality medical services to about 32,000 local residents and help rebuild and strengthen Nepal’s poor regional health system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.