Authorities in Nepal have been approaching the headquarters of all international relief organizations operating in the country to enhance support for the country’s Covid response. 

The Social Welfare Council, the regulatory body of NGOs operating in the country, has asked all NGOs to divert at least 5-20 percent of their funds towards Covid response. 

“We are preparing to write to the headquarters of the international relief organizations within the next 3-4 days asking them to give high priority to raising funds for Nepal,” Pushkar Khati, a member-secretary at the council, was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post. 

Nepal is in urgent need of medical oxygen, oxygen plants, oximeters, and ventilators. It will be a “huge relief” if we get these from international organizations, Khati said. 

The council on 2 May issued a notification to NGOs, requesting them to divert funds. Projects with an approved budget of up to $850,000 have been asked to divert 15 percent of the funds towards Covid’s response. 

Projects with budgets of up to $2.14 million have been asked to divert 10 percent while projects with budgets of up to $4.2 million and more than $4.2 million have been requested to allocate 7 percent and 5 percent to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.