On the ground, fighting Nepal’s Covid-19 wave
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By Talya Meyers
On Monday, Dr. Rajeev Shrestha watched as a 24-year-old patient deteriorated, then died in emergency care. His Covid-19 results had just come back positive earlier that day, after his mild flu-like symptoms began to worsen abruptly.
“We couldn’t do anything,” said Shrestha, a physician and professor at Dhulikhel Hospital and Kathmandu University Hospital.
In Nepal, which shares a long and porous border with India, Covid-19 cases are surging. As bad as official numbers are, the reality is likewise worse. Testing, particularly in rural areas, is limited, according to Dr. Aban Gautam, president of the aid organization Mountain Heart Nepal.
Hospitals and aid groups are conducting testing, distributing oxygen and PPE, caring for airlifted patients, and providing mental health support to people with Covid.