KATHMANDU: The World Bank has pledged to continue its support for Nepal in its bid for improvement health system.
In a meeting with Minister for Health and Population Mohan Bahadur Basnet on Tuesday, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Faris Hadad-Zervos, reaffirmed the World Bank's commitment to continue its support to Nepal.
Minister Basnet appreciated various cooperation and support from the World Bank to Nepal's health sector among others and urged the World Bank to consider additional financial and technical support for Nepal in the coming days.
World Bank Country Director Zervos shared that the World Bank would provide $100 million as grant assistance and $3.84 million as a grant for Nepal's health sector within five years.
He expressed his confidence that the World Bank's support would contribute to enhancing quality healthcare services in Nepal during difficult situations like Covid 19 pandemic and other epidemics.
It may be noted that the World Bank provided vaccines against Covid 19 to Nepal as a grant during the pandemic besides some funds to be mobilised for preventive measures.
Health Minister Basnet informed Country Director Zervos that some of the financial assistance received from the World Bank during the pandemic was left over and the process was taken ahead so as to spend the remaining amount by his ministry itself.
The leftover amount was sent to the Ministry of Finance. According to Minister Basnet, the World Bank held the view that the amount should be spent by the Health Ministry.
According to the Minister, the leftover amount will be brought to the MoHP considering the risk of dengue and other risks in the health sector and the possibility of mobilisation of the fund.
The remaining amount stands at Rs 1 billion.
