COVID-19: India gifts 2,000 vials of Remdesivir to Nepal

Sep 15, 2020

Kathmandu [Nepal], September 15 : As part of India's ongoing assistance to the Himalayan nation in meeting challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, Ambassador Vinay M Kwatra handed over 2,000 vials of Remdesivir to Nepal Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Tuesday.
"On September 15, Ambassador Vinay M. Kwatra handed over 2,000 vials of Remdesivir to Foreign Affairs Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on behalf of the Government of India," Indian Embassy said in a release.
It stated that the medicines are a part of the Indian government's ongoing assistance to its neighbouring nation against the battle against COVID-19.
"It follows on earlier support extended to Nepal in the form of ICU ventilators on August 9, COVID-19 test kits (RT-PCR) on May 17, and essential medicines including Paracetamol and Hydroxychloroquine on April 22. As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Nepal in their fight to prevail over the pandemic," the release informed.
"Remdesivir is regarded as a broad-spectrum anti-viral medication for treating moderate to severely ill patients on oxygen therapy. According to medical research, the drug is proven to significantly reduce the duration of hospital stay and also diminish the recovery time of patients," it added.
India on Sunday gifted a consignment of disaster relief material to Nepal including tents and plastic sheets for distribution to flood and landslide affected families in five districts of the Himalayan nation.
The consignment was handed over by India's deputy envoy in Nepal, Namgya Khampa, to Chanda Chaudhary, Member of Parliament and President of the Nepal-India Women Friendship Society (NIWFS).