Washington, April 20. Nepal Government has declined the donation of covid vaccines worth US$30 million from the Singapore Government.

Nepal, a country with a population of nearly 30 million has over 7.2 million people who has not received even a single dose of covid vaccine.

The Singapore government sent an official message to the Nepal government a month earlier regarding the donation of vaccines. The Singapore Health Ministry had contacted Dr. Roshan Pokhrel from the Nepali Health Ministry through a proposal.

According to a high-level source from the Nepali Health Ministry, the proposal from Singapore was received on 22 March. The proposal indicated that Singapore intended to donate 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccines. The source further revealed,

  “Initially, everyone was happy that Nepal is receiving vaccines for free, that too from Moderna. But, within a few days the decision was changed. Singapore was made to wait three weeks, then a message was sent saying that Nepal is currently in no need of vaccines.”

The declination of vaccines has made leeway for vaccine mafias. It has been revealed that due to the absence of commission coming from the free vaccines, the Health Ministry of Nepal declined the offer. Further, if Nepal buys vaccines, then there will be the presence of a commission. The Nepal Government is continuously putting efforts to buy vaccines from India and China.

Dr. Pokhrel defended the ministry by explaining that the Moderna vaccines that were about to be donated from Singapore had a shelf life of fewer than six months. Covid vaccines have certain shelf lives and must be inoculated within that period. Since the vaccines that Singapore pledged had a lower shelf life, Pokhrel elaborated that those vaccines could not be provided to the target audience, within the short period.

Further, Singapore was willing to provide the equipment for the storage of vaccines and bear the flight cost as well.

Regular meetings between Health Minister Birodh Khatiwada, Health Secretary Roshan Pokhrel, and Director General of Health Services Department Dipendra Man Singh were held for the same issue.

Efforts to get the vaccines into Nepal started in Ohio

After Singapore purchased vaccines from Moderna, 1.5 million vaccines were surplus. Singapore started enlisting countries in dire need of an aforementioned number of vaccines. They informed the manufacturer, Moderna in the US as well.

Then, this news came to scientist Dipendra Gyawali, who worked at Moderna. He, from Ohio, then tried to transport free vaccines into Nepal. Dr. Damodar Poudel, medical director at a hospital in Ohio joined hands with Gyawali.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Poudel has been continuously trying to manage free vaccine assistance for Nepal. Last year, Dr. Poudel met with a member of the US House of Representatives and appealed for vaccine assistance to Nepal. The representative took Poudel’s request to the federal government. Shortly after, the US sent vaccine shipments to Nepal.

Nepal’s Ambassador to the US, Shreedhar Khatri also put in efforts to help Gyawali and Poudel to send vaccines to Nepal. But, their collective efforts did not bear fruit. The Nepal Government declined the offer from Singapore.