KATHMANDU: The coronavirus infection cases are hiking explosively. On Monday alone 24 new cases of coronavirus were noticed in Nepal.
This highlights the urgency of carrying out coronavirus tests at wartime ration. However, the test is very slow due to the insufficiency of the test kits.
Despite the quality concern expressed towards the test kits procured from China earlier, the scarcity of the test kits has hard hit the country now.
In the meantime, the sources claim that the health materials Nepal Army (NA) is procuring from China are likely to take one more week for arrival here.
According to NA sources, the labeling and certification of the goods and supplies to be procured for Nepal is going on in China now.
China had earlier told NA that the labeling and certification were undergoing from April 11, but, now it seems this process will take 5 days more for completion.
Once the labeling and certification are over, the procedure for customs clearance will be initiated. China had informed NA that custom clearance would require at least 72 hours.
However, NA has requested to shorten the customs clearance period citing the urgency of those materials in Nepal.
NA sources claim that the process will be shorter than its deemed as various channels including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NA representatives at the embassy and Chief of Army Staffs have been urging the government for the same.
Once the customs clearance is over, NA will import those materials using two wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines.
After the corruption allegations related to the health materials procurement through Omni Business Corporate International, the government had assigned the tasks of procuring the most essential health materials to the Nepal Army on Apr 29.
In coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population NA had prepared the list of 67 health materials and tools deemed essential for the time being.
NA has signed USD 18,441,706 agreement with a Chinese firm to procure 342 tons of health materials from there.
Those materials will be brought to Nepal via land and air routes. Flash Freight Logistics has got the responsibility to arrange for the transportation of those materials to Nepal.
Flash Freight Logistics has received US$ 372.5 thousand for air transport and US$ 24.676 million for land transportation.
NA has informed that the transportation of the medical supplies meant to be sent from the land route has already started from May 4.
ALSO READ: Procurement of medical supplies from China uncertain
Comment