As the second wave of COVID-19 struck Nepal and cases began to surge, hospitals across the country came under immense pressure to treat a rising number of patients. Almost immediately, there were reports of shortages of supplies and equipment including medical oxygen, beds, and ventilators.
In order to address the issues surrounding supply shortages at hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) deployed a team to 22 COVID-19 Unified hospitals. The team, comprising of WHO technical officers and MoHP officials, worked to gather information, monitor services, and map resources.
“After a request was received from the MoHP, WHO swiftly swung into action and repurposed 13 staff to work with the Ministry. The team, deployed across COVID-19 hospitals, helped identify the major issues facing the hospitals and worked in coordination with the Ministry and the hospital administration to resolve them,” said Dr. Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal.
This intervention proved very helpful in ensuring that gaps are filled quickly and resources optimized.
For instance, the assessment realized that the shortage of oxygen was due to a lack of smooth supply of oxygen from the oxygen centers, lack of systematic assessment of the oxygen cylinders and concentrators and plants at the hospitals, stockpiling of oxygen by different hospitals more than the requirements, and improper maintenance of existing oxygen plants at different hospitals.
“WHO’s intervention arrived at an important stage when there was a huge surge in COVID-19 cases. Through their support, we were able to close the gaps between demand and supply. This led to improved management at hospitals,” said Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, Chief Administrative Office, COVID-19 Unified Central Hospital (Bir Hospital).
Officials also highlighted that such pre-preparedness will support the hospitals during upcoming COVID-19 waves. “With the combined interventions from the MoHP and WHO, we will be able to minimize loss of life,” stated Dr. Asha Singh, Director of Nepal Hospital.