<figure><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91e29c7e80680e06f117jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s oxygen emergency <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/why-is-there-still-an-oxygen-shortage/">has eased somewhat as the Covid-19 second wave crests,</a> but the crisis exposed serious gaps in the supply and distribution of medical oxygen with major implications for the future.At the peak of the second wave, many Covid-19 patients died as hospitals ran out of oxygen, but with an<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/leading-public-figures-call-on-uk-government-for-oxygen-for-nepal/"> overwhelming international response </a>to rush cylinders, concentrators and generators, there is now the risk of over-capacity of medical oxygen post-pandemic. Nepal’s demand for oxygen cylinders shot up to 50,000 per day during the peak of the second wave in May, with the country’s oxygen factories and hospitals <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-an-emergency/">only able to fill 19,000 cylinders every day</a>. In contrast, pre-wave calculations had suggested that peak daily demand would only be about 6,000 cylinders.  <img width="640" height="338" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91e49c7e80680e06f118jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="319" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91e79c7e80680e06f119jpeg.jpg" alt="">Most of the 29 oxygen factories in Nepal were working at only half capacity pre-pandemic because of low demand. In fact, three of them had closed down. As the second wave hit, the plants went into full-scale production, but a shortage of cylinders meant that the excess production could not be sent to hospitals.Meanwhile, factories relying on liquid oxygen tankers were affected by an Indian ban on export. Empty cylinders from China, Oman and other countries alleviated the shortage somewhat, while oxygen plants grappled with increasing generation capacity. <figure><img width="640" height="361" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91ea9c7e80680e06f11ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Too little too lateWhen the inter-ministerial Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) finally reacted, it was too late. Its arbitrary quota system for every hospital proved disastrous.“The quota resulted in hard-hit hospitals being undersupplied and safer hospitals being unnecessarily saturated with cylinders,” explains Roop Jyoti, former chairman of Grande City Hospital, suggesting the problems lay in supply chain management rather than oxygen production. Faced with mounting criticism for bungling the oxygen quotas, the Health Ministry resorted to micromanaging, and ordered suppliers to only send filled cylinders to hospitals that had its recommendation letter. The result was catastrophic, many<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/helping-nepalis-breathe-again/"> hospitals were either forced to refuse service</a> or they asked families of patients to bring their own full cylinders.In a notice posted in mid-May, Kathmandu’s Om Hospital said: ‘Under the capping made by the government on oxygen supply, we are unable to take admissions despite our willingness to provide service. We have enough manpower such as doctors and nurses to take care of patients but not enough oxygen supply.’ Families with Covid-19 patients hoarded full cylinders at home, and desperate ones rushed to the gates of oxygen factories to buy the life-saving gas. Municipalities, especially in areas with spare capacity, prevented the transport of oxygen beyond district borders.Most of Nepal’s oxygen plants are in central and eastern Nepal. The Morang-Sunsari industrial corridor alone had five large oxygen factories with surplus capacity, but these were prevented from sending supplies to hospitals in Kathmandu and other areas with shortages. Lack of training in oxygen flow management and ventilator use did not help matters. Makeshift local isolation centres with non-medical staff were using full flow to treat patients with mild symptoms. Hoarding and black marketing was rampant, and while large hospitals ran out of oxygen supply, local isolation centres had one cylinder per patient.In Grande International Hospital, there was a 30% drop in oxygen demand when doctors were more judicious in oxygen use. Still, the shortage was serious enough for some doctors to ration oxygen even for their most serious patients. Others had to make the difficult choice between continuing to put patients who had little chance of survival on oxygen, or to give it to those who would immediately recover with oxygen. Even before the pandemic, government oversight on cylinders was non-existent with no standardisation or regulation in place regarding colour coding, pressure, price rates and deposits on oxygen cylinders.  “I used to get desperate calls at 3am from families of patients desperate for oxygen. We were able to call up spare capacity during the second wave, especially in the east of the country, but the shortage of cylinders for refilling did create a temporary shortage,” says Gaurav Sharda of the Nepal Oxygen Industries Association (NOIA). <figure><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91ed9c7e80680e06f11bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>After the peak With the first week of June, Nepal’s Covid-19 curve started flattening with hospitals in Kathmandu and major cities seeing fewer patients who needed to be on oxygen or in ICU. “Compared to the devastating shortages in April and May, oxygen availability is relatively stable,” says Anup Bastola, a physician at Teku Hospital. The Ministry of Health also seems to have learnt from its mistakes, and is ensuring a more equitable supply of cylinders. Donated oxygen concentrators are now being flown to district hospitals where they are needed. However, even as demand for oxygen goes down, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-diaspora-comes-to-the-rescue/">overseas Nepalis and international donors</a> are still rushing empty cylinders, concentrators, generators and liquid oxygen tanks on relief flights to Kathmandu. There are more oxygen generator plants arriving from France, the US and China this week. Ventilators from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/international-help-for-nepal-picks-up/">international donors</a> are sitting idle at some district hospitals in western Nepal because no one knows how to operate them. Domestic oxygen production itself is now reaching 100% capacity. Even though there is a challenge of logistics, equitable distribution, and cost, Nepal will soon have more oxygen than it needs. What the government needs to focus on is getting much-needed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/life-hangs-by-an-oxygen-tube-in-nepal/">oxygen to rural areas</a> where the virus is spreading house-to-house.  The flood of donated oxygen generators now means that there will be domestic over-capacity just as there was before the second wave. Nepal’s oxygen sector therefore needs to balance supply to meet demand surges and periods of low consumption.Explains Jyoti: “Ironically, many new donated oxygen plants are being set up in hospitals in response to the second wave, so when this passes, there will be tremendous over-capacity. Regular factories would probably have to function at less than 25% capacity and will be destroyed financially.”At Teku Hospital, Bastola says <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/two-nepals-in-the-death-zone/">repurposing oxygen equipment</a> could help Nepal prepare for future spikes. If there is a third wave this autumn, for example, demand would go up again. Besides Covid-19, there is also the pre-existing need for oxygen to treat the rise in respiratory ailments such as COPD and heart disease caused by worsening air pollution. Says Sharda at NOIA: “One of two scenarios can now play out. The government could either continue its reliance on donated oxygen generation equipment, thereby driving Nepali producers out of existence, or it could encourage sustained domestic production to meet a spike in demand during future outbreaks.” Last month, reports of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants failing in hospitals, and a CCMC finding of 70% oxygen leakage in many hospitals were overlooked. These issues are structural and if resolved can help alleviate future shortages.“The government’s approach to oxygen distribution was myopic,” says Sharda. “Oxygen is a basic product and can easily be bottled here. But they failed to consult with us producers, and now all this oversupply from abroad will jeopardise our ability to respond to future outbreaks. Plant staff should also be <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-life-or-death-o2-quest/">treated as frontline workers</a> and have vaccinations.” The government and CCMC failed to acknowledge that assistance was needed in the oxygen supply chain rather than production, and by allowing import of production equipment but bungling on supply management, they failed to take into account domestic generation capacity, thus increasing vulnerability in the future.  The only solution to prevent another oxygen crisis is to stop the problem at the source, by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/aid-pours-into-nepal-but-where-be-vaccines/">stemming the spread of Covid-19.</a> But the lesson from the second wave is that Nepal’s government, hospitals and oxygen plants need to have standby capacity at hand for future waves.

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Pandemic and the political-economy of oxygen supply

<figure><img width="722" height="482" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86609c7e80680e06784ejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>The flood of social media posts of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/aid-pours-into-nepal-but-where-be-vaccines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/aid-pours-into-nepal-but-where-be-vaccines/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFw4HGIaJzWsPjE6KDbOCN9BO71nA">donated medical supplies</a> being unloaded at Kathmandu airport every day, gives the impression that the outside world cares more about the humanitarian emergency in Nepal than the country’s own leaders.
This week proved that the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-sets-elections-in-middle-of-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-sets-elections-in-middle-of-pandemic/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGnYd3WYcqcWZhTuAO1fDLmr6DWrw">Nepali politicians still do not get it</a>. Except for the chatting classes locked up at home, not many Nepalis follow, or care, about a dissolved Parliament, elections in November, or writs at the Supreme Court. They are preoccupied with trying to prevent relatives from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/helping-nepalis-breathe-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/helping-nepalis-breathe-again/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG0TkkaP2byuZ7gTldxbjVgjSti9w">breathing their last</a>.
Prime Minister K P Oli has proven that he is not just a shrewd manipulator, but also has elastic ethics. In the past year, he has shown that he will stop at nothing: split the NCP that he himself united, dismantle his own UML, dissolve a Parliament in which he had a two-thirds majority. All is fair, it seems, in love and politics. 
Nepalis might have followed the political games in Kathmandu more closely if the alternatives to Oli inspired more confidence. But they are all tried, tested and failed ex-prime ministers themselves. The main contender Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress lined himself up to be PM for the fifth time, and has still not given up.
The crises due to the pandemic would have been the opportunity to form a national unity government, and work together to fight the virus. This would be the time for all the parties to skip a generation and bring up some young do-ers. That is what they may have done if this was a war. But <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/this-is-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/this-is-war/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEWgT9G992ZUlwbDLKjh5yVL3iW-A">this is a war</a>.
The needs are great: ensuring <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-an-emergency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-an-emergency/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEbjbLTsFcBFUFjyD0KkohRt6dD0w">adequate oxygen supply</a>, rushing relief for the millions who have lost their income during the lockdowns, ensuring that ICU care is available and affordable to the general public, and negotiating a reliable vaccine pipeline. Preoccupied with politicking, the leaders had little time for any of this. 
Most of Nepal’s politically-appointed ambassadors overseas are more beholden to their patrons back home than to the people. With the exceptions of our female envoys in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-diaspora-comes-to-the-rescue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-diaspora-comes-to-the-rescue/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHqcfVevxxV6taMreBzCHkR2W-pNw">Oman and Spain</a>, other missions have not stepped up to the task of conveying the emergency like we did after the 2015 earthquake.
The oxygen cylinders and medical equipment that have arrived are mostly through donations from the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-diaspora-comes-to-the-rescue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-diaspora-comes-to-the-rescue/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHqcfVevxxV6taMreBzCHkR2W-pNw">Nepali diaspora</a>, citizens groups that have mobilised through social media, and friends of Nepal. 
No wonder the rest of the world does not take us seriously. When a state does not demonstrate accountability towards its own citizens, there is little trust even from governments that genuinely want to help, to provide urgently needed material. 
And there is not much the outside world can do when the malaise is within. Nepal has to resolve its own governance crisis that has messed up its Covid-19 response. 
Having said that, the international community could show more concern for the urgent need for vaccines. There are many flights bearing ventilators, concentrators, PPEs and test kits, but much vacillation on vaccines. 
Nepal is not getting the urgent help it needs to immediately vaccinate 1.4 million people whose default date for the second dose is now. On Monday, the government extended the dose gap to 16 weeks in the hope that someone somewhere will quickly send the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/despite-doubts-nepal-sticks-with-astrazeneca-jabs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/despite-doubts-nepal-sticks-with-astrazeneca-jabs/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG_KLW5M52MZ3Y7ijjHYNDTM3xYdQ">AstraZeneca (AZ)</a> vaccines we paid the Serum Institute of India for, but which were never delivered.
This is a major <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-is-a-priority-for-vaccine-shipments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-is-a-priority-for-vaccine-shipments/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGmt0XUUHhxlq6n1BtsGFdw3YfM_w">failure of Nepal’s vaccine diplomacy</a>, but it is also India, Britain, the EU, US, the WHO that have let us down in this hour of need. We get it that vaccines are now a geo-strategic item, and countries are stockpiling it for the third wave. But some countries have enough doses to vaccinate their populations several times over, at a time when their own citizens are refusing to take AZ because of the panic over clots. 
Across France, AZ vaccines are being dumped because they are nearing expiry, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-needs-urgent-american-vaccine-support/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-needs-urgent-american-vaccine-support/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHGyEJVpvRxkfBu00MFW-UbFzLJxQ">United States has a cache</a> of 80 million Covid-19 vaccines, and nearly half its population refuses to be vaccinated. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vaccines-are-the-only-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vaccines-are-the-only-solution/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622019280162000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF0Zuj2D_3iMclB9cP3qSBYR8nxPQ">Ship the shots </a>to people who want and need the vaccines.
We would like to see fewer Tweets of donated items that Nepal can afford to buy, and more timetables for vaccine deliveries.

Vacillating on vaccines

<figure><img width="1236" height="856" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85a09c7e80680e067804jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure><h2>1. Oxygen</h2> To save lives, Nepal’s most urgent need now is oxygen. Not just cylinders, but oxygen generators, concentrators and liquid oxygen. Most infected people are not succumbing to Covid-19, they are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/helping-nepalis-breathe-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dying because of low oxygen saturation</a> in the blood, and lack of hospital beds -- patients who need not have died of coronavirus. Dire as the situation is in the cities, Nepal’s pandemic has now <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepals-humanitarian-emergency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">infiltrated the remotest villages</a> where there is no hospital care and no oxygen. The virus is preying on people already suffering malnutrition, previous ailments, and decades of structural state neglect. In Rolpa, Humla and other remote districts, between 80-90% of PCR tests are coming back positive, and it takes a week to get results. Patients are either not isolating, or not following precautions.Kathmandu's doctor-to-patient ratio is 1:850, but in rural Nepal it is one doctor for every 15,000 people, and hospitals and medical staff there <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/at-the-covid-19-frontlines-in-rural-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are already overstretched</a>.Close to 60% of all swabs collected nationwide are from Bagmati Province, with nearly half of them in Kathmandu Valley, says epidemiologist Lhamu Yangchen Sherpa. She adds: “There just aren’t enough tests and contact tracing is minimal, official total cases and fatalities are grossly underestimated.” <figure><img width="1497" height="746" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85a39c7e80680e067805jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="984" height="519" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85a69c7e80680e067806jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Hospitals in Kathmandu Valley with roof helipads have multiple daily rescue flights, but even these facilities are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/we-knew-the-tsunami-was-approaching/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at breaking point</a> with patients being turned away. Understaffed and under-equipped hospitals in the districts do not stand a chance. Even where hospitals exist, many families avoid them for fear of being infected and take wrong medication from pharmacies.Case in point are recent deaths due to misdiagnosis across the country. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-shot-in-the-arm-for-vaccines-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Typhoid disease</a> simulates Covid-19 with similar symptoms, and the widespread Widal test is known to give false positives.“Covid patients are being prescribed antibiotics to fight typhoid, only to turn critically ill in a few days’ time,” says Buddha Basnyat of Patan Academy of Health Sciences. “This is the reason behind some of the latest Covid fatalities.” <figure><img width="1280" height="720" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85a89c7e80680e067807jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>As in India, Nepal is beginning to see a slight bending of the curve for new infections, but health experts expect the fatality rate to remain high for some more time.  There were 190 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours and 6,543 recoveries. Of the total 8,305 new cases on Thursday, Kathmandu Valley accounts for 3,232 infections. 7,814 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals with 1,748 in ICU and 492 in ventilator support. “After the relentless patient pressure of the past month, we have seen a decline in those requiring admissions,” says virologist at Teku hospital Sher Bahadur Pun. “The virus has now infected a majority of people in the cities, and this combined with the lockdown means we may be getting to the halfway mark of the second wave.” <h2>2. Vaccines</h2> A prolonged lockdown is not the answer. If it was, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-numbers-slightly-down-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reduction in the number of cases and the positivity rate</a> this week would have been steeper. Even while the government tries to increase oxygen supply to hospitals, the only long-term strategy is to vaccinate at least 70% of Nepal’s eligible population.Doctors report a marked difference between the recovery of people who are vaccinated against those who are not. Says virologist Pun at Teku Hospital: “Except for a few rare cases, all patients in critical condition and those dying are the ones who for one reason or another had not been vaccinated.”But Nepal has run out of its vaccine stock, leaving 1.4 million people still waiting for their second dose of AstraZeneca Covishield in a lurch, after India banned its export, and the COVAX Facility could not supply its remaining 1.8 million vaccines to Nepal because of the global supply bottleneck.  <figure><img width="1440" height="1080" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85ac9c7e80680e067808jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The Nepal government and pressure groups in Nepal and the United States <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-needs-urgent-american-vaccine-support/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">have strongly urged the Biden administration</a> to immediately rush some of its AstraZeneca doses to Nepal.Meanwhile, the UK, the US and Canada have authorised vaccines for use in children and adolescents, sparking outrage in the global public health community for prioritising an age group that is rarely critically affected by Covid-19. The World Health Organisation’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged rich countries to instead donate doses to the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unicef-urges-g7-to-dispatch-vaccines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">COVAX Facility</a> for poorer states that have barely covered health workers and the most vulnerable groups. Speaking at the British Parliament last week, noted vaccinologist and the principal researcher of Oxford University’s AstraZeneca vaccine, Andrew Pollard, called the decision to inoculate children in wealthy nations ahead of high-risk groups in poorer countries “morally wrong.” Pollard has worked extensively in the region, leading research into the burden and transmission of typhoid in Nepal, Bangladesh and Malawi, and the impact of typhoid vaccine in these areas. He also runs surveillance for invasive bacterial diseases, and studies the impact of pneumococcal vaccines in children in Nepal.In Nepal, vaccination will grind to a halt this week after the current campaign to inoculate 300,000 people in the 18-59 age group with their second dose of the Chinese VeroCell ends.  <figure><img width="960" height="640" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85af9c7e80680e067809jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img width="960" height="640" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85b29c7e80680e06780ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="960" height="639" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85b49c7e80680e06780bjpeg.jpg" alt="">Although <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-is-a-priority-for-vaccine-shipments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali says</a> the government is in “final negotiations” for 2 million doses of Sinopharm VeroCell vaccines by June, there is no movement at the Ministry of Health. Ongoing talks to procure 8 million doses of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/vaccine-geo-politics-and-sputnik-v/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Sputnik V</a> have hit a production capacity snag in Russia. “We can implement lockdowns only for so long, the only exit strategy is vaccines. Science delivered, now our politicians must do the same,” says Buddha Basnyat, a physical at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences. “The Nepal government must procure vaccines using every diplomatic channel possible, and rich countries must realise that they are not safe until countries like Nepal are also vaccinated.” Activists have been trying to convince <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/leading-public-figures-call-on-uk-government-for-oxygen-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the US government and Europeans</a> that Nepal has a lot of experience in successful vaccination campaigns against polio, smallpox, measles. It has over 50,000 female community health volunteers (FCHVs) reaching children with vaccines every year.  <figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85b79c7e80680e06780cjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img width="2048" height="943" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85ba9c7e80680e06780djpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="1920" height="864" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85bd9c7e80680e06780ejpeg.jpg" alt="">Similarly, Nepal’s health system has amassed vast experience in maintaining the vaccine cold chain even in the remote mountains. It also has trained human resource overseeing DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course) for tuberculosis management all over the country who can lend a hand in equitable distribution of vaccines in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rural-nepal-fights-back-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rural Nepal</a>.Says epidemiologist Lhamo Yangchen Sherpa: “It’s not too late, we can still use existing resources like FCHVs to better mobilise vaccination, conduct contact tracing, dispel any remaining vaccine hesitancy, and use public health professionals in prevention.”

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It’s an Emergency

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636cedad9c7e80680e09adddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="512"/><figcaption>Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>Leading figures including Joanna Lumley, Sir Michael Palin and Sir Chris Bonington today called upon the British government to urgently send lifesaving oxygen equipment and medical supplies to Nepal. The Nepali health system has collapsed due to a massive surge in Covid-19 infections. For over a week hospitals have been turning away patients due to lack of beds, and people have died for lack of oxygen.Sir Chris Bonington said, “I have seen for myself how much the hill people from Nepal have done to help Britain over the years and how much we owe them. I do hope that our government can help them in their desperate plight.”Among those signing the open letter to the foreign secretary Dominic Raab are leading British public health specialists and vaccine researchers including Sir Jeremy Farrar, Sarah Gilbert, Andrew Pollard, Nicholas White, Adrian Hill, Peter Horby, Philippe Guérin, Alain Townsend, and Sandy Douglas.<a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/05142021%20Nepal%20SitRep%20C19.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/05142021%2520Nepal%2520SitRep%2520C19.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHGoTVKycRtzWTcsv6xd8s0ntxOZQ">According to the United Nations</a> this week, “COVID-19 infections are surging at an unprecedented rate in Nepal. The country of roughly 29 million people . . . has the highest effective rate of reproduction in the world . . . With a much weaker health system than neighbouring India’s, Nepal is now at a critical juncture. Hospitals in major cities are at capacity and have had to turn patients away. . .  [there are] also by critical shortages in human resources and essential commodities such as oxygen.”Captain Ram Bahadur Limbu, one of only five living recipients of the Victoria Cross, signed the letter from his home in Kathmandu. He was awarded Britain’s highest military decoration while serving with the 10th Gurkha Rifles in Indonesia in 1965.General The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, a former Chief of Defence Staff,  joined the appeal. General Sir Sam Cowan, former Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas and Chairman of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, said, “The people of Nepal are suffering badly, and the poorest the most. Our historic links with the country through Gurkha recruitment go back over 200 years.  It’s time for the UK to step up to the mark to make a major contribution to ease the suffering. We cannot do less. Time is of the essence and we need significant action now. We are already behind what other countries with less historic ties are doing.”Fifty-six leading UK figures including writers, actors, mountaineers and soldiers signed the open letter calling on the British government to act now. The letter, which is open for public signatures on <a href="https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter=1205004619&amp;recruited_by_id=14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter%3D1205004619%26recruited_by_id%3D14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386%26utm_source%3Dshare_petition%26utm_medium%3Dcopylink%26utm_campaign%3Dpetition_dashboard&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFvFd1fau2SkCn3BMxm7up7V0_dNQ">Change.org</a>, calls upon “the UK government to urgently respond to the Covid-19 crisis in Nepal by airlifting critical medical supplies including oxygen plants and equipment.”“Acting now will make the difference of life or death for thousands of people. Nepal is one of Britain’s oldest friends in the world, a friendship represented by generations of Gurkha soldiers and mountaineers,” the letter reads. “We must come to Nepal’s aid now.”Sir Michael Palin wrote, “I am very happy to lend my support for the letter. They are very special people facing, once again, an extreme test of survival, and I hope we can do our best for them.”People who want to lend their support to the campaign can do so by signing the <a href="http://change.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://change.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGj60AEY7yPdJulF3DOI6UPbLBfaw">Change.org</a> petition letter and by contacting their MP to call for medical aid to Nepal.Rory Bremmer, the impressionist and comedian, said, “Whilst the devastating crisis in India has rightly caught the attention of the world, its neighbour Nepal is similarly overwhelmed, its healthcare system unable to cope on its own. Britain should stand by its long standing friend and ally in its hour of need and provide urgent support.”The Nepali government and health officials say physical supplies including oxygen plants, cylinders, oxygen concentrators and related equipment, as well as life saving vaccines and therapeutic drugs, are desperately needed. Due to the Covid emergency in neighbouring India, Nepal has not been able to buy and import equipment, medicines and vaccines needed to combat Covid-19 as it did earlier in the pandemic. The government of Nepal has shared details of the most urgent priorities with other governments, including Britain.The open letter reads: “The Nepali Health Ministry predicts that by 15 July the number of active cases will reach 800,000, resulting in ten critically ill patients for every ICU bed. Only 7% of Nepal’s population has received a dose of vaccine. The potential loss of life and economic devastation over the coming months is staggering, and preventable.”Other signatories include the actor Nickolas Grace, production designer James Acheson, and Joanna Lumley, who successfully campaigned for ex-Gurkhas to settle in the UK. The Everest summiteer and TV personality Ben Fogle, said, “I am deeply saddened and worried about the worsening health crisis in Nepal, a country and people I know and love. A special, kind people who need our help.”Rebecca Stevens, the first British woman to climb Mt. Everest, said, "In a very long relationship between Nepal and Britain, Gurkhas and British army, Sherpas and mountaineers, the Nepalese have alway given with full heart, often with their lives. It is absolutely our turn and our duty to do what we can to help in their hour of need . . . We must act decisively, immediately.”Kenton Cool, a mountaineer and Everest guide who was participating in the current climbing season, said, "Being in Nepal myself at the present time I have seen first hand the extent of this second wave. People are desperate. Any and all help would make an impact. Having experienced the generosity of the Nepali people over many decades it pains me to see this nation struggle once again."Other signatories include the DJ Paul Oakenfold, who was recently at Everest base camp, and the chefs Asma Khan and Santosh Shah - the recent Master Chef finalist. Jeremy Jack Thomas, producer of The Last Emperor, said “Nepal is reeling from a second wave. This magical landlocked country needs all the support it can get from our government, as it has been a friend to Britain not only in our armies but culturally.”Numerous UK-based scholars joined the campaign, including Michael Hutt, emeritus professor of Himalayan studies at SOAS, David Gellner, professor of social anthropology at Oxford University, Mike Searle, professor of earth sciences at Oxford University, and Diwakar Acharya, professor of Eastern religions and ethics at Oxford University.Surya Subedi QC, professor of international law at the University of Leeds, said, “"Nepal is a traditional ally of the UK. I hope the UK Government will provide every assistance possible for the people of Nepal in this hour of need."David Lascelles, the film producer and 8th Earl of Harwood, said, “I’m distressed to hear of the devastation being caused by the second deadly wave of Covid-19 in Nepal. Nepal is home to some of the toughest and most resilient people in the world but this will test even their endurance to the limit. We must do everything we can to help our many friends there in their time of need.”The mountaineers, broadcasters, film makers, soldiers  and authors who have signed the open letter, are now joined by many others at <a href="http://change.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://change.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGj60AEY7yPdJulF3DOI6UPbLBfaw">change.org</a>. They are united in calling upon the British government to send urgently needed oxygen equipment and other supplies to Nepal. “The UK and Nepal have a unique, centuries-old relationship. We must stand by one of our oldest friends,” the letter reads. “Time is of the essence.”LINK TO <a href="http://change.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://change.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGj60AEY7yPdJulF3DOI6UPbLBfaw">CHANGE.ORG</a>: <a href="https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter=1205004619&amp;recruited_by_id=14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter%3D1205004619%26recruited_by_id%3D14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386%26utm_source%3Dshare_petition%26utm_medium%3Dcopylink%26utm_campaign%3Dpetition_dashboard&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFvFd1fau2SkCn3BMxm7up7V0_dNQ">https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter=1205004619&amp;recruited_by_id=14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard</a>Social media:Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/alliance4nepuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/alliance4nepuk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNESynB_A9T1PItHuIa8W1ytl9ZfAQ">@alliance4nepuk</a>

Leading Public Figures Call on UK Government for Oxygen for Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b85979c7e80680e067800jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="512"/><figcaption>Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>Leading figures including Joanna Lumley, Sir Michael Palin and Sir Chris Bonington today called upon the British government to urgently send lifesaving oxygen equipment and medical supplies to Nepal. The Nepali health system has collapsed due to a massive surge in Covid-19 infections. For over a week hospitals have been turning away patients due to lack of beds, and people have died for lack of oxygen.Sir Chris Bonington said, “I have seen for myself how much the hill people from Nepal have done to help Britain over the years and how much we owe them. I do hope that our government can help them in their desperate plight.”Among those signing the open letter to the foreign secretary Dominic Raab are leading British public health specialists and vaccine researchers including Sir Jeremy Farrar, Sarah Gilbert, Andrew Pollard, Nicholas White, Adrian Hill, Peter Horby, Philippe Guérin, Alain Townsend, and Sandy Douglas.<a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/05142021%20Nepal%20SitRep%20C19.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/05142021%2520Nepal%2520SitRep%2520C19.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHGoTVKycRtzWTcsv6xd8s0ntxOZQ">According to the United Nations</a> this week, “COVID-19 infections are surging at an unprecedented rate in Nepal. The country of roughly 29 million people . . . has the highest effective rate of reproduction in the world . . . With a much weaker health system than neighbouring India’s, Nepal is now at a critical juncture. Hospitals in major cities are at capacity and have had to turn patients away. . .  [there are] also by critical shortages in human resources and essential commodities such as oxygen.”Captain Ram Bahadur Limbu, one of only five living recipients of the Victoria Cross, signed the letter from his home in Kathmandu. He was awarded Britain’s highest military decoration while serving with the 10th Gurkha Rifles in Indonesia in 1965.General The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, a former Chief of Defence Staff,  joined the appeal. General Sir Sam Cowan, former Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas and Chairman of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, said, “The people of Nepal are suffering badly, and the poorest the most. Our historic links with the country through Gurkha recruitment go back over 200 years.  It’s time for the UK to step up to the mark to make a major contribution to ease the suffering. We cannot do less. Time is of the essence and we need significant action now. We are already behind what other countries with less historic ties are doing.”Fifty-six leading UK figures including writers, actors, mountaineers and soldiers signed the open letter calling on the British government to act now. The letter, which is open for public signatures on <a href="https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter=1205004619&amp;recruited_by_id=14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter%3D1205004619%26recruited_by_id%3D14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386%26utm_source%3Dshare_petition%26utm_medium%3Dcopylink%26utm_campaign%3Dpetition_dashboard&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFvFd1fau2SkCn3BMxm7up7V0_dNQ">Change.org</a>, calls upon “the UK government to urgently respond to the Covid-19 crisis in Nepal by airlifting critical medical supplies including oxygen plants and equipment.”“Acting now will make the difference of life or death for thousands of people. Nepal is one of Britain’s oldest friends in the world, a friendship represented by generations of Gurkha soldiers and mountaineers,” the letter reads. “We must come to Nepal’s aid now.”Sir Michael Palin wrote, “I am very happy to lend my support for the letter. They are very special people facing, once again, an extreme test of survival, and I hope we can do our best for them.”People who want to lend their support to the campaign can do so by signing the <a href="http://change.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://change.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGj60AEY7yPdJulF3DOI6UPbLBfaw">Change.org</a> petition letter and by contacting their MP to call for medical aid to Nepal.Rory Bremmer, the impressionist and comedian, said, “Whilst the devastating crisis in India has rightly caught the attention of the world, its neighbour Nepal is similarly overwhelmed, its healthcare system unable to cope on its own. Britain should stand by its long standing friend and ally in its hour of need and provide urgent support.”The Nepali government and health officials say physical supplies including oxygen plants, cylinders, oxygen concentrators and related equipment, as well as life saving vaccines and therapeutic drugs, are desperately needed. Due to the Covid emergency in neighbouring India, Nepal has not been able to buy and import equipment, medicines and vaccines needed to combat Covid-19 as it did earlier in the pandemic. The government of Nepal has shared details of the most urgent priorities with other governments, including Britain.The open letter reads: “The Nepali Health Ministry predicts that by 15 July the number of active cases will reach 800,000, resulting in ten critically ill patients for every ICU bed. Only 7% of Nepal’s population has received a dose of vaccine. The potential loss of life and economic devastation over the coming months is staggering, and preventable.”Other signatories include the actor Nickolas Grace, production designer James Acheson, and Joanna Lumley, who successfully campaigned for ex-Gurkhas to settle in the UK. The Everest summiteer and TV personality Ben Fogle, said, “I am deeply saddened and worried about the worsening health crisis in Nepal, a country and people I know and love. A special, kind people who need our help.”Rebecca Stevens, the first British woman to climb Mt. Everest, said, "In a very long relationship between Nepal and Britain, Gurkhas and British army, Sherpas and mountaineers, the Nepalese have alway given with full heart, often with their lives. It is absolutely our turn and our duty to do what we can to help in their hour of need . . . We must act decisively, immediately.”Kenton Cool, a mountaineer and Everest guide who was participating in the current climbing season, said, "Being in Nepal myself at the present time I have seen first hand the extent of this second wave. People are desperate. Any and all help would make an impact. Having experienced the generosity of the Nepali people over many decades it pains me to see this nation struggle once again."Other signatories include the DJ Paul Oakenfold, who was recently at Everest base camp, and the chefs Asma Khan and Santosh Shah - the recent Master Chef finalist. Jeremy Jack Thomas, producer of The Last Emperor, said “Nepal is reeling from a second wave. This magical landlocked country needs all the support it can get from our government, as it has been a friend to Britain not only in our armies but culturally.”Numerous UK-based scholars joined the campaign, including Michael Hutt, emeritus professor of Himalayan studies at SOAS, David Gellner, professor of social anthropology at Oxford University, Mike Searle, professor of earth sciences at Oxford University, and Diwakar Acharya, professor of Eastern religions and ethics at Oxford University.Surya Subedi QC, professor of international law at the University of Leeds, said, “"Nepal is a traditional ally of the UK. I hope the UK Government will provide every assistance possible for the people of Nepal in this hour of need."David Lascelles, the film producer and 8th Earl of Harwood, said, “I’m distressed to hear of the devastation being caused by the second deadly wave of Covid-19 in Nepal. Nepal is home to some of the toughest and most resilient people in the world but this will test even their endurance to the limit. We must do everything we can to help our many friends there in their time of need.”The mountaineers, broadcasters, film makers, soldiers  and authors who have signed the open letter, are now joined by many others at <a href="http://change.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://change.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGj60AEY7yPdJulF3DOI6UPbLBfaw">change.org</a>. They are united in calling upon the British government to send urgently needed oxygen equipment and other supplies to Nepal. “The UK and Nepal have a unique, centuries-old relationship. We must stand by one of our oldest friends,” the letter reads. “Time is of the essence.”LINK TO <a href="http://change.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://change.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGj60AEY7yPdJulF3DOI6UPbLBfaw">CHANGE.ORG</a>: <a href="https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter=1205004619&amp;recruited_by_id=14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter%3D1205004619%26recruited_by_id%3D14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386%26utm_source%3Dshare_petition%26utm_medium%3Dcopylink%26utm_campaign%3Dpetition_dashboard&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFvFd1fau2SkCn3BMxm7up7V0_dNQ">https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-dominic-raab-mp-uk-send-oxygen-to-nepal-now?recruiter=1205004619&amp;recruited_by_id=14e94300-b7bf-11eb-b788-f53b463e0386&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard</a>Social media:Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/alliance4nepuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/alliance4nepuk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621443857422000&amp;usg=AFQjCNESynB_A9T1PItHuIa8W1ytl9ZfAQ">@alliance4nepuk</a>

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

Thousands of Nepali students dreaming of an American education have been forced to look elsewhere as the Trump administration’s visa restrictions make their future uncertain.
The US was long considered a top destination for higher studies, making Nepal the 10th biggest country of origin for international students in America.&nbsp;
However, that number has seen a significant decline with the total for Nepali students now at 16,482. Some 8,000 Nepali students obtained no-objection certificates to study in the US from the Ministry of Education in the past year.&nbsp;
India, Australia, Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom and Japan are the other popular destinations for Nepali students. There are no clear numbers for Nepalis going to India, but a slight decline was noted this year after the deaths of two female students.
The US State Department has issued a circular to its embassies not to issue new visas to applicants until further notice. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the directive stated that the department planned to expand the screening of applicants' social media.&nbsp;
While new applicants are barred including those applying for visitor visas, students with scheduled interviews are allowed to proceed.
“Many of our students are affected by the new restrictions, but those who had applied for student visas earlier have got interview dates,” one Kathmandu-based college counsellor told us.
Meanwhile, even foreign students with spotless records already in the US have not been spared, as visa scrutiny intensifies under the new policy. In a move that underscores the growing sense of insecurity, many US colleges advised international students to carry their passports and documents at all times, even when traveling locally.
“Me and my friends did not go home this summer because we were not sure we would be allowed back, so we just went to Niagara Falls,” said a Nepali undergrad in Ohio, who like many interviewed for this report did not want her name used for fear of repercussion.
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Nepali students have adopted a cautious stance, with many choosing not to return home during summer vacation due to fear of visa revocations as well as travel bans. Meanwhile, over 7,000 Nepalis with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will have to come back to Nepal by 5 August or face deportation. Thirty-seven were flown back to Kathmandu on Omni Air last week.
“The US is one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education, and the ban will definitely impact bright students,” says Narottam Aryal of the King’s College in Kathmandu.
Indeed, Nepali undergraduates admitted into Ivy League colleges for the 2025 academic year have been asked to look for alternatives. The entire Fulbright Foreign Scholarships Board resigned on Wednesday citing interference from the Trump administration on the selection of this year’s cohort. Some Nepali students already on Fulbright scholarships have noted disruptions, delays and even cancellation of stipends.&nbsp;
The student visa restrictions were initially just for foreign students admitted to Harvard University, but it was later extended to all Chinese students and now to all students. Universities like Columbia which actively recruit foreign students, face sharp enrolment declines, threatening their financial stability and diversity.
An Indian female PhD candidate at Columbia University had her visa revoked by the US State Department, and said she was targeted on the basis of her social media posts on Israeli military attacks in Gaza. Social media vetting of political activism has raised concerns about privacy and freedom of expression in a country where such rights were a given.
Many students have been informed via email that their visas have been revoked for getting speeding or parking tickets, but even others with no criminal record have been affected. The fear of deportation looms large amongst international students, including those from Nepal.&nbsp;
For most Nepalis who migrate to the US for education, the journey is a high-stakes investment. They come largely from middle-class families, often rely on a patchwork of scholarships, work-study programs, loans, or even the sale of family assets to afford fees.
Most Nepali students pursue STEM subjects which offer extended Optional Practical Training (OPT) periods that help fund their education. But with the US backsliding on education and humanitarian matters, countries like the UK and Canada are becoming more attractive despite their own recent stricter controls on student visas.&nbsp;
The UK universities saw a 63% rise in Nepali students’ admissions in 2024. Japan is another popular destination with 64,816 Nepali students enrolled as of 2024.
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Already, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia are poised to benefit from the increased scrutiny of US student visas. Several Hong Kong universities are offering unconditional admission to affected students, while Malaysian institutions are targeting previously US-bound Asian students. China and India have 330,000 and 280,000 students respectively in America, but the numbers for China have seen a sharp drop in the past year.
Elsewhere, branch campuses of American institutions such as NYU in Abu Dhabi, Georgetown in Dubai and Northwestern in Doha are getting more admission applications, and universities in the Gulf region are expanding infrastructure to accommodate those who would otherwise have gone to the US.&nbsp;
Even educational institutions in Nepal are hopeful that the US visa restrictions can be an opportunity to at least keep Nepali undergrads in Nepal, and also attract foreign students from the region.&nbsp;
“Many students might choose to complete their undergraduate degree here in Nepal and then move abroad for their Master’s degree later,” says Aryal of King’s College. “There was a need for quality higher education in Nepal anyway in terms of innovation and opportunities, so this could be the time to reduce our dependence on other countries.”
Nepal’s strategic position between India and China makes it sensitive to US policy shifts. India, a key ally, is also under US scrutiny for potential student travel restrictions. Chinese universities are already offering more scholarships to Nepali talent to capitalise on the US retreat.
American universities have challenged student visa restrictions in the courts. A federal court in Boston revoked the blanket ban on Harvard, and the State Department has ordered the resumption of processing student and exchange visitor visas.&nbsp;
Some are still hoping that President Trump will backtrack on the student visa restrictions, just like he has done with many of his more drastic executive orders.
Even so, the visa see-saw and longer-term uncertainties about living in the United States and its education system means students across the world are making alternative plans.
Says Aryal: “Policies of foreign countries change according to their needs, so excessive dependence was never a good idea. We should work to create different opportunities and choices of higher education within Nepal, so students are retained.” &nbsp;

America no longer prime destination for Nepali students

That winter day in January 1664 marked an exceptional event in the reign of King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu. It was 15 Paush 784 of the Nepal Sambat and for the first time, a historical event was being immortalised on canvas for generations to come.&nbsp; The occasion was the grand Tuladaan ceremony of the King’s youngest son Chakrabartendra Malla from his wife Anantapriya, an Indian princess from Cooch Behar in present-day Assam.&nbsp; During the ritual, the prince was weighed against gold, silver, pearls, and other precious stones, which were then offered to Goddess Taleju Bhavani, the guardian deity of the Malla dynasty.&nbsp; The 170 x120cm painting captures the time of King Pratap Malla in all its splendour and is more than a personal tribute to his son: it is a significant visual historical document. It was evidently completed five years later in 1669, and could be considered a photographic record, with retrospective recreation of the event by the unknown artist. A Tuladaan ceremony is performed to purify one’s karma, quell impending bad luck, or as an act of charity and devotion. Chakrabartendra Malla was not well, and the ritual was performed in hopes of restoring his health. King Pratap Malla had arranged for each of his sons to take turns ruling Kathmandu so they got administrative experience. But Chakrabartendra died just two days after assuming power in 1670 (790 NS). This painting is considered the earliest known example in which the composition is dominated by an architectural landscape: the Taleju Temple. Given the stylistic features such as side-profile facial depictions and the rendering of human forms, it is believed that the Nepali artist was trained by a Rajput master.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250615040624_ddad3bc27a327e3f9926c8473287e4f14b53081296c295049009f327a4d97051.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250615040624_ddad3bc27a327e3f9926c8473287e4f14b53081296c295049009f327a4d97051" data-rendition-name="original" width="3248" height="4395" loading="lazy" alt="Tuladaan NT"> </figure>  During that era, there were regular exchanges of artists between Northern India and Kathmandu Valley. The painting is also a melding of Nepali, Tibetan, Mughal, and Rajput art styles of the time. Pratap Malla could have been inspired by a painting of Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s Tuladaan ceremony for his son Khurram in 1607. The Mallas and Mughals shared cordial relations, which is reflected in the cultural influences seen in the art and attire of the period.&nbsp; The clothing of the Malla ruling class, in particular, features colourful tunics, turbans, and jewelry that display strong Rajput and Mughal stylistic elements. The musicians in the upper tier are also dressed in Indian-style clothing, while the ensemble on the lower steps wear local attire, notably without turbans. Their hairstyles also differ, with the lower group wearing their hair tied in a bun at the front. This national treasure is currently in storage at the Collège de France in Paris, and has never been publicly displayed. Nepal’s art scholars like Gautam Vajracharya, Pratap Aditya Pal and Anne Vergati have written about this iconic paubha in the past, but the only detailed study is from the perspective of music history by researcher Richard Widdess who had access to high resolution copies of the original.&nbsp; Widdess from the Department of Music at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London describes the paubha as the most significant and richly detailed documentation of music in Nepali art. He identifies distinct musical ensembles on the terraces of the temple, and remarkably most of them are actively used today. One of them reflects the Mughal naqqārakhāna model — a loud outdoor ensemble typically composed of kettledrums, trumpets, and cymbals, traditionally performed from the gateway of the emperor’s palace to announce his entrances and exits. The depiction of such an ensemble in the tulādāna painting is likely the earliest known representation of a complete naqqārakhāna in Nepal — considered the forerunner of the panche baja, the traditional Nepali ensemble. On the stepped pyramid base of the temple are two groups of musicians playing local instruments: dhimey, bhushya, and dha. They are unmistakably Newar musicians, wearing short skirts and short-sleeved tops, with bare heads and legs—clearly distinguished as local performers.&nbsp; Higher still on the temple pyramid are musicians of apparently higher status, positioned close to the king, and his courtiers, possibly professional court musicians from India, well-versed in rāga and tāla. A dāphā group is also clearly depicted, identifiable by their characteristic instruments.&nbsp; Dāphā bhajan is likely the oldest surviving tradition of Newar devotional singing, and this paubha is the oldest visual record of it. Pratap Malla himself is believed to have composed songs that continue to be performed by dāphā groups throughout Kathmandu till today.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025061211064_d67636730cdc0ec778c02494817aca0b99654f2950d0fae4b95499a61faf7ef3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025061211064_d67636730cdc0ec778c02494817aca0b99654f2950d0fae4b95499a61faf7ef3" data-rendition-name="original" width="596" height="768" loading="lazy" alt="Priceless paubha in Paris NT"> </figure>  The artist’s thorough attention to musical detail may be attributed to King Pratap Malla’s own deep interest in music. His inscriptions on this painting and elsewhere proclaim his mastery of all branches of knowledge, including music. He is also known as the author of dance dramas and poems, penning his name as Kavindra (king of poets). Some noteworthy elements of new art techniques stand out: for example, the roof of the temple is filled with realistically rendered white doves, pigeons, and crows. This is a rare feature in paubha, where animals and birds are stylised, mythological forms. This remarkably talented unknown artist has managed to also render an orthographic projection: the front and side view of Nepal’s first architectural paubha. The Taleju Temple, with its staggering multi-tiered structure and numerous steps and platforms, is masterfully translated into layers within the painting. This represents a significant artistic achievement of the time, especially considering that dimensional perspectives had not started in deity-based paubha.&nbsp; The artist has also made a meticulous effort to capture architectural details such as the toran (ornamental arch) and temple struts with impressive precision. There are flickering lamps along the steps and some people carrying what appear to be oil pots.&nbsp; It is a full moon night and the dark sky is adorned with all the gods and goddesses, who are depicted as blessing the ceremony while seated on stylised thangka clouds. There is a lot happening in this painting, with people engaged in various activities. The artist has also rendered a forest backdrop behind the temple, complete with deer, trees, and flowers. Could there have once been a royal garden behind the Taleju Temple?&nbsp; More details and clarity can only be achieved if we are able to view the original or a high-resolution scanned version of the artwork. Many countries proudly display art depicting historical events in their national museums with great reverence. France, for example, has The Coronation of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Joséphine by Jacques-Louis David (1808–1822), along with numerous paintings of the Napoleonic Wars. Many were commissioned by Napoleon himself for future generations to remember.&nbsp; For Nepal, the equivalent is the Tuladaan paubha which is a visual record capturing a historic moment involving one of Kathmandu’s greatest kings, on the very day the event took place. Sadly, we await the day when this masterpiece is displayed, shared in high resolution for detailed study, or more rightfully — repatriated to its homeland, where it truly belongs. &nbsp; Shaguni Singh Sakya is the Director of the Museum of Nepali Arts (MoNA) at Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel. <h2>Gods homeward bound</h2> The Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign and Nepal’s Department of Archaeology are convening the first international conference on the Recovery of Cultural Heritage from 16-18 June in Patan. The conference will address urgent issues of theft, illicit trafficking, the campaign to repatriate looted cultural artifacts, and explore how the return of sacred antiquities contributes to justice, healing, and reconciliation for communities and nations affected by cultural loss. American art crime professor Erin L Thompson and Saubhagya Pradhananga of the Department of Archaeology will deliver the keynote. Meanwhile, author and Nepali Times publisher Kunda Dixit will lead a conversation on Illicit Trafficking: Public Opinion and Role of Media with Erin Thompson, Amr Al Azm, associate professor of Middle East History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio, as well as Bradley J Gordon, a lawyer based in Phnom Penh. There will be sessions looking at repatriation perspectives from Cambodia, India, Vietnam, China and Poland, international frameworks for repatriation, emerging digital technologies in the repatriation of cultural heritage, cultural property agreements, museums as well as trends in the art market, and heritage diplomacy and the role of media.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025061211068_59cfccfa8f5d73bfe8b4c5811a7f53abc09ea04e8cb7c638933d62e5283efdf6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2025061211068_59cfccfa8f5d73bfe8b4c5811a7f53abc09ea04e8cb7c638933d62e5283efdf6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1350" loading="lazy" alt="Heritage recovery NT"> </figure>  <h2> </h2> Some of the other highlights include James K. Reap, a professor in the Master of Historic Preservation Program at the University of Georgia who has a session on the US response to illicit trafficking. Art historian Lea Saint-Raymond is taking on “Gods at Auction: The Market for Himalayan Artefacts”, while lecturer of criminology at the University of Glasgow Emiline Smith is delving into transformative approaches to heritage ownership and repatriation. Helena Arose of Antiquities Coalition and Melina Antoniadis of NOSTOS Strategies that specialise on the return home of cultural heritage as well as Hao Liu of International Cultural Heritage Law at the School of Law at Shandong University are some of the others attending. The Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign was set up in 2020 to develop a coordinated movement to reclaim Nepal’s stolen gods and goddesses, with an aim to ensure that recovered items are returned to their original shrines, niches or sanctums. Ahead of the conference opening organisers have arranged for a film screening of Loot &amp; Return: 4 Documentaries at YalaMaya Kendra in Patan Dhoka between 14-15 June. Following the conference is a multimedia exhibition titled Absent Gods: Nepal’s Lost Heritage from 31 July to 4 August at Patan Museum.

Priceless paubha in Paris

While Nepal was hosting the Sagarmatha Sambaad international climate conference in Kathmandu this month, on Mt Everest it was pretty much business as usual.&nbsp; The signs of climate breakdown are all there: a river now runs through Base Camp in summer, the Khumbu Icefall is more unstable, and there are more &nbsp;frequent avalanches. When expeditions arrived in March, the mountains were bare: it had not snowed since September, but then blizzards dumped unseasonal snow in May. And despite climate worries, such is the pull of Himalayan mountaineering that the Everest Industry showed no signs of slowdown. More than 600 international climbers and their Nepali guides had made it to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. At one point there were an estimated 2,000 people in the tent city on the Khumbu Glacier. All the ropes and ladders on the Icefall came down on Thursday, marking the official end of the spring climbing season, and just in time to avoid a monsoon cyclone approaching from the Bay of Bengal. It has been an action-packed season. One factor could be that Everest fees will go up from September: each foreign climber needs to pay a $15,000 royalty, up from the present $11,000. The cost for a Nepali climber on the South Col route will also go up: from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.&nbsp; The fee to climb Everest in autumn is $7,500 (up from $5,500), but most climbers still prefer spring. Winter permit fee (December-February) is only $3,750 per person and the mountain is now also open for monsoon (June-August) climbs, when the fee is ever lower at $2,750. The revised rule also makes it mandatory for every two climbers on an 8,000m peak to hire one Nepali mountain guide.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046" data-rendition-name="original" width="931" height="732" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry graph 1"> </figure>  In addition, climbers also have to pay for porters and guides, equipment, Base Camp costs, Ice Fall and fixed rope team fees, so climbing Everest does not come cheap. But such is the draw of climbing the world’s highest peak that some say the increased fees will not diminish the crowds next year. The government has tried to spread expeditions out to other seasons and other 8,000ers, but with not much success. Earlier this year, Nepal unilaterally increased the number of 8,000m peaks to 14 by adding six more sub-summits to broaden the choice for climbers. Added were: Yalung Kang (8,505m), Yalung Kang West (8,077m) &nbsp;Kangchenjunga Central (8,473m), Kangchenjunga South (8,476m), Lhotse Middle (8,410m) and Lhotse Shar (8,400m).&nbsp; The announcement could go against the accepted topographic criteria that a stand alone peak has to be at least 300m higher than an adjoining prominence, and at more than 3km isolation from it. The UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme) still recognises only 14 mountains as eight-thousanders, and only eight of those are in Nepal, or on the border with China. Nepal’s revised mountaineering regulations also increased the insurance coverage of high-altitude workers to protect porters and high altitude guides who usually take more risks on the mountains. Rescue teams and clean-up campaigners to collect trash and remove bodies of dead climbers up to Camp IV of Mt Everest do not need permits.&nbsp; The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee is now using drones to fly down trash in 20kg sacks. Each climber is also required to bring down at least 6kg of waste and not just their own, but this rule is erratically enforced. With five fatalities on Everest and Lhotse, Spring 2025 had a historically low death toll. Another five climbers died on Annapurna, Kangchenjunga and Makalu.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a" data-rendition-name="original" width="665" height="740" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest industry graph 2"> </figure>  Journalist Ben Ayers who ran the Everest Live social media channel from Everest Base Camp with daily updates credited the low death rate to dramatic rescues of climbers from the ‘Death Zone’ by their Nepali guides and longline helievacs — the visuals all uploaded on YouTube.&nbsp; “Ironically, this perception of safety is bringing more and more inexperienced climbers to the mountain, and they need more rescues,” Ayers said in one of his dispatches.&nbsp; American expedition chronicler and summiteer Alan Arnette suspects there is a lot of under-reporting given that the jet stream and storms were lashing Everest even till late in the season. He told us: “I heard a lot about frostbite and rescues that were not made public. It’s become practically impossible to cover the details on Everest. All the teams report nice news, and they don’t talk about bad stuff to avoid hurting businesses.” Although trash on Nepal’s mountains makes headlines, what does not receive as much attention is the climate impact of so many expeditions. The Sagarmatha Sambaad conference sidestepped this issue, which is ironic given that the impact of climate breakdown is most evident on Himalayan peaks and their glaciers.&nbsp; <h2>Need for Speed</h2> The big stories this year have been about speed-running from their home cities to the top of Everest. Ukrainian entrepreneur Andrew Ushakov flew out of JFK on 15 May at 10:15AM Nepal time, and was on the summit 3 days, 23 hours, and 7 minutes later on 19 May at 9:22AM.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885" data-rendition-name="original" width="1440" height="1800" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry"> <figcaption>Andrew Ushakov at the summt. Photo: ELITE EXPED</figcaption> </figure>  “I could never find the time for the traditional 40-50 days of acclimatisation,” Ushakov explained matter-of-factly. His ‘Everest Sea-to-Summit’ climb was possible because he spent 400 hours in hypoxic sleep tents over the past four years in New York. However, Ushakov did use ropes already fixed, hired four Nepali guides, helicoptered to Base Camp, and used much more oxygen than an average climber. And after the climb, Ushakov was arrested at Kathmandu airport for being in possession of $20,000 of undeclared cash and spent a night in jail and fined $60,000.&nbsp; The other speedsters were Garth Miller, Alastair Cairns, Anthony Stazicker, and Kev Godlington, all former British Army commandos. They left London and summited five days later on 21 May, and flew right back. They also used hypoxic tents to simulate the thin air high on Everest.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8" data-rendition-name="original" width="810" height="668" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry "> <figcaption>All four members of the Furtenbach team at the summit. Photo: Sandro Gromen-Hayes</figcaption> </figure>  But more controversial was their use of xenon gas therapy in a German hospital to ramp up the production of oxygen-carrying haemoglobins in their blood. Xenon is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for being performance enhancing in sports. Expedition leader Lukas Furtenbach said this rule does not apply to mountaineering, as it is not a regulated sport like swimming. Nepal has no rules about xenon, but the Department of Tourism said it was launching an ‘investigation’ to decide on future policy since it is difficult to ban xenon, but allow oxygen. The controversy has also divided the mountaineering community, with some climbers saying they just want to maximise their chances of survival. Spending less time on the mountain could make climbing safer by reducing avalanche risk. It would also mean less trash on the mountains, but it would reduce the income of Nepal’s expedition industry. It is also unclear how much of the success was due to xenon therapy and whether the ex-special forces were already in good physical shape.&nbsp; The need for speed hides the fact that climbing in the Himalaya is dangerous business, and climbers cannot sprint to the top just by huffing xenon. But ultra-fast climbs could be charged more, and the revenue generated can be used to establish state-of-the-art rescue operations, and increase pay and insurance for guides. Two other speed chasers this season were Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff and American Tyler Andrews, both on Everest without oxygen. Andrews choppered to Base Camp to catch a weather window, but turned back from 8,500m due to high winds. Heavy snow and wind also forced Egloff to descend from 7,000m. Slow and steady climbers like Anja Blacha from Germany did make it to the summit without oxygen, while Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record with his 31st Everest summit as he led a 26-strong Indian Army group. There were 468 permits issued for foreign climbers from 48 expeditions to Everest this spring. Nepal’s other eight-thousanders together had only 17 expeditions. Nepal has more than 1,000 peaks above 6,000m, and has opened only 476 of them for climbing.&nbsp;