Nepal: Coronavirus

(asked on 19th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of sending a unit of Gurkhas who have been vaccinated against covid-19 to Nepal to help counter the spreading of that virus in that country; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
James Heappey Portrait
James Heappey
This question was answered on 24th May 2021

We are committed to our long-standing bilateral defence relationship with the Government of Nepal. Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike. We are hugely proud that Gurkhas continue to serve in the British Army.

The UK Government is one of the leading donors to Covax, committing £548million to the scheme, which will provide doses for almost a fifth of Nepal's population. The UK has funded a new £180,000 duplex oxygen generation plant at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu to help address oxygen shortages to treat COVID19 patients. To further support the Government of Nepal during the current wave of COVID19 in the region, the MOD will send a small Military Advisory team to Nepal to assess the situation in-country. The advisors have experience of dealing with the challenges of COVID19 in the UK and will draw on subject matter experts.

We will continue to monitor the situation in Nepal and keep our assistance under careful review.

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