The main opposition party has demanded an investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in the procurement of medical kits and protective gear.

Putting forth his suggestions at a meeting called by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba said the government should stop protecting the people involved in corruption and irregularities.

The government’s decision in March to award the Omni Business Corporate International a deal to procure medical kits and protective gear had courted controversy for not following public procurement rules. Questions had also been raised over the quality of the equipment procured by Omni. However, no investigation was carried out in this matter.

As cases of COVID-19 increase sharply, Oli on Tuesday held a consultation with the leaders of the opposition parties and experts from various fields to seek suggestions on what containment measures the government should take.

Deuba also demanded a fair assessment of the government’s weaknesses in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Making public the list of demands by Deuba, party’s chief secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel said the main opposition has also demanded performing 100,000 polymerase chain reaction tests in each province and a complete halt to rapid diagnostic tests.

Deuba also alerted the government to make health equipment, essential medicines, enough isolation wards and ventilators ready as the threat of the coronavirus contagion rises.

Oli had told the meeting that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be controlled by the government alone. The tendency to take the crisis as an opportunity to attack the government should be stopped, he said. “The government was criticised for imposing a lockdown. Now it is facing attacks for easing it.”
 
“The decision on enforcing the lockdown or easing it can be taken after evaluating the situation of virus spread in the community,” Ram Saran Bajagain, media expert at the prime minister’s office, quoted Oli as saying.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/08/04/deuba-demands-fair-probe-into-alleged-corruption-in-COVID-19-response