India has gifted forty one ambulances and six school buses to various governmental and NGOs working in the field of health and education in Nepal.

These organizations are spread across 30 districts of Nepal, including remote districts. A press statement from the Embassy of India in Nepal today said that gifting of ambulances and school buses is part of “India’s continued support for the efforts of Nepal to strengthen health services, particularly emergency medical services and also facilitates easy physical access of students to their places of learning.“

During a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli on 15th August, the leaders had expressed mutual solidarity in the context of the efforts being made to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. PM Modi had also offered India’s continued support to Nepal in this regard.

The ambulances are of three different categories of Advance Life Support category, Basic Life Support and Common Life Support ambulances adhering to the guidelines of Nepal.

The Advance Life Support category ambulances include equipment such as travelling ventilator, ECG and Oxygen monitor, automated external defibrillator, nebulizer set, BP apparatus, stethoscope, Ambu bag, various tubes and catheters, wheelchair and stretcher, radio communication equipment and 4G mobile device, etc.

The Basic Life Support ambulances have all these items, except for travelling ventilator. The Common Life Support ambulances are 4 Wheel Drive vehicles and best suited for hilly and mountainous terrains.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has long-standing tradition of gifting ambulances and school buses to government and not-for-profit institutions every year to support grassroots medical access.