Kathmandu: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Embassy of Republic of Korea in Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project “Capacity Building Of Medical Service To Achieve Universal Health Coverage For The Poor In Vulnerable Areas In Bhaktapur, Nepal” at the Ministry of Finance, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu on Tuesday.
The MoU was signed by Arjun Prasad Pokhrel, finance secretary, and Park Tae-Young, ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Nepal.
The South Korean government, through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), will spend USD 9.5 million for this project for five years. The project aims to enhance the capacity of medical infrastructure and professionals for quality hospital management, infection control, and improved coverage of public health insurance to attain the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
This project will be implemented by KOICA, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, KOICA and Nepal Korea Friendship Municipality Hospital (NKFMH) in close collaboration and coordination with MoFAGA.
The KOICA will construct a 150-bed hospital in the adjoining land of NKFMH, provide necessary medical equipment and develop the capacity of medical and administrative staff of the hospital. The old and new hospital buildings will be interconnected for effective service delivery.
During the signing ceremony, Shreekrishna Nepal, joint secretary of International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division of MoF, acknowledged the support of the Korean government. “The government of Korea has grown as a very close development partner of Nepal over the years and he appreciated people-to-people relations between the two countries.”
In the ceremony, Kong Mooheon, Country Director of KOICA, expressed that KOICA has implemented various health projects in Nepal and every project has its own unique achievement. “The phase II of NKFMH will be instrumental in providing quality health care to the general public and poor and vulnerable people of Bhaktapur and nearby districts shall have easy access to specialized health care services.”
Similarly, Korean Ambassador to Nepal Park Tae-Young expressed that the new hospital will be useful for the general public and he expected full cooperation from the government to successfully implement this project. The ambassador expressed that he was looking forward to marking the 50-year bilateral diplomatic relations between Korea and Nepal.
During the signing ceremony, finance secretary Arjun Prasad Pokhrel expressed his gratitude to the government of the Republic of Korea for the partnership which will enhance the friendly relation between the two countries. He further assured to fully cooperate for the successful implementation of this project.
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