KOICA in coordination with District Health Office (DHO) of Nuwakot and UNDP, organized the ground breaking ceremony of the Nuwakot health reconstruction and recovery program on 18th of May, 2016.

Korean Ambassador to Nepal Choe Yong-jin and Chief District Officer Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel jointly performed the ground breaking ceremony at the health post construction site of Belkot VDC after a brief welcome by Nuwakot District Health office Chief Bishwo Ram Shrestha.

According to a press release issued by KOICA, the program saw brief interaction with local beneficiaries and short remarks by various high level officials including Dr Hyungkyoo Kim, Country Director of KOICA,  Sophie Kemkahadze, Deputy Country Director of UNDP, Narayan Prasad Risal , Local Development Officer and officers of implementing partners GIZ and Good Neighbors International Nepal. The brief ceremony was accompanied by authorities of local government agencies of Nuwakot, implementing partners (GNI, GIZ) staffs of Belkot Health post and local beneficiaries.

The Record of Discussion (RoD) on the project “Post-Disaster health Service Recovery Program in Nuwakot District” was signed on 10 December, 2015 between Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Republic of Korea (GOK) and Ministry of Health, Government of Nepal (GON). The project covers the construction of the Nuwakot District Hospital in Bidur Municpality and 10 Health posts in different VDCs of Nuwakot district which are Ratemate, Duipipal, Charghare, Belkot, Suryamati, Thaprek, Panchakanya, Gangphedi, Likhu, and Sisdol (Okharpauwa).

The project is jointly being implemented by KOICA, UNDP, GNI and GIZ. UNDP is responsible for safe demolition and debris management through cash-for-work modality in reconstruction activities while GIZ will be responsible for improvement and strengthening of Health Management Information System. Good Neighbors International (GNI) will support in normalizing health service delivery and capacity building for health workers in addressing post-disaster concerns.

The ceremony is expected to mark the fast and timely implementation of the reconstruction activities in Nuwakot district through the joint collaboration of donors, government agencies, implementing partners, and local beneficiaries. In the ceremony, the local beneficiaries were informed about the user friendliness, fire resistant quality and durability of the construction material to be used for the health post.

The Government of Republic of Korea made a pledge of 10 million USD at the international conference regarding Nepal’s reconstruction organized on June 25, 2015 in Kathmandu and based on the follow up consultation between GOK and GoN, the GOK made its commitment to implement health recovery program in Nuwakot district. Apart from the post-disaster reconstruction program in Nuwakot, KOICA has been supporting the Government of Nepal in the area of Health, Education and Agriculture and Capacity building of Human resources.