KATHMANDU: The Japanese government has committed an additional grant of 573 million yen for the “Dhulikhel Hospital Trauma and Emergency Center Improvement Project,” in a move aimed at strengthening Nepal’s emergency healthcare infrastructure.
The agreement was signed on Friday at the Ministry of Finance in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Japan’s Parliamentary Deputy Foreign Minister Ikuina Akiko.
The grant agreement was signed between Dhaniram Sharma, Head of the International Economic Assistance Coordination Division at the Ministry of Finance, and a representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Nepal.
Also present at the ceremony were Finance Secretary Ghanashyam Upadhyay, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru, and other senior officials.
Minister Paudel highlighted the deep and selfless friendship between Nepal and Japan, highlighting Japan’s longstanding contributions to Nepal’s development efforts.
“We have been receiving significant support from Japan for Nepal’s development. We hope this collaboration will grow further in the days to come,” he said.
He also invited Deputy Minister Akiko to visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, either during this visit or in the future.
The Finance Minister thanked the Government of Japan for its continued support, particularly for its contribution to Dhulikhel Hospital, which serves as a major medical hub for Nepal and surrounding regions.
The Japanese Embassy in Nepal stated that the additional funding was necessary due to rising costs and unforeseen expenses since the original grant agreement of 3.296 billion yen was signed in 2023.
The embassy cited the growing number of trauma patients, largely due to expanding road networks and increased vehicle usage, as well as a surge in non-communicable diseases such as strokes and heart conditions, as reasons for the urgent need for upgraded trauma care facilities.
The additional grant aims to address shortages of hospital beds and medical equipment by constructing a fully equipped trauma and emergency center at Dhulikhel Hospital.
The project is expected to enhance Nepal’s overall healthcare capacity and contribute to the country’s broader economic development through improved medical services.
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