Ministry of Finance seeks COVID-focused support

Kathmandu, Sept. 3

The Ministry of Finance has urged all development partners working in Nepal to provide targeted and direct support to fight against COVID-19.

It has sought their focused and directed support in line with the plans and strategies of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to fill the gaps in the areas of funding, human resources, logistics and infrastructure.

“Since the pandemic is a global crisis, the support should be supplied collectively by all for the benefits not only of Nepal but of the world,” said Joint Secretary and Chief of International Economic Cooperation Division at the MoF Shreekrishna Nepal in a meeting with the local development partners.

The ministry had organised a virtual meeting with the development partners on the COVID-19 financing gaps and strategy.

Nepal said that current interventions should under no circumstance hamper the regular health services. According to him, pool of human resources and effective and transparent communication strategy is the most powerful remedy to the pandemic.

The development partners shared their future strategy to support Nepal during this difficult time.

Despite being a part of regular dialogue between the government and development partners, the meeting revolved around the theme of financing for combating COVID-19 in Nepal, said the MoF in a statement.

Under Secretary of the MoF Narayan Dhakal presented a snapshot of resource management from the budget allocation and support from the development partners as captured in the Aid Management Information System (AMIS).

Likewise, Senior Public Health Administrator of the MoHP Yeshoda Aryal had presented current coronavirus situation, details of support received by the ministry from development partners, key gaps in funding, human resources, logistics, infrastructure, and risk communication behaviour.

Her presentation also included a plan to combat the pandemic from the areas of human resource management, case management, logistic management, quality control and assurances, risk communication and serological study.

The meeting was attended by ambassadors of Japan and South Korea to Nepal Masamichi Saigo and Park Chong-suk respectively, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, Country Director of Asian Development Bank Mukthor Khamudkhanov, United Nations Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand, and USAID Mission Director Sepideh Keyvanshad.

Representatives of DFID, European Union, GIZ, JICA Nepal, World Food Programme, SNV, Finland, International Labour Organisation, UNDP, India, China, Switzerland, Germany, and KFW Development Bank were also attended the meeting. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 4 September 2020.