July 2: Soft drinks maker Coca-Cola has announced partnership with Nepal Red-Cross Society to heighten the safety of frontline health workers and volunteers who are assisting patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Issuing a press statement, Coca-Cola said that the project aims to provide safety gears and disinfectant items to the health workers and frontline workers in public hospitals dedicated for COVID-19 treatment, in all seven provinces in the country. “The overall objective of the project is to serve approx. 60,000 health workers across the country including doctors, nurses, blood technicians, ambulance drivers, medical technicians, people in quarantine centers and community members at risk towards COVID-19,” reads the statement.

According to the statement, the first handover ceremony commenced on June 30 at the premises of the Ministry of Health and Population in the presence of Health Minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, representatives of Coca-Cola in Nepal and Nepal Red-Cross Society. As a first phase of the project, safety gears and health equipment were handed over to Minister Dhakal for the health workers of Sukraraj Tropical Hospital, Teku as received by the hospital director, Dr. Sagar Kumar Rajbhandari.

“The aid distribution will be conducted indifferent phases and the first phase includes 15,000 surgical masks, 1,150 K-95 masks, 550 disposable coverall with hoods, 300 safety goggles, 10,000 pairs of gloves, 440 safety boots, 2,500 bottles of sanitizers, 450 packs of Chemical Sodium Hypo-chloride Sanitizer and 15,118 bars of soap,” said the company adding that this distribution will be completed within in the next two weeks.