On 30 May 2021, His Excellency Mr. Vosita Vorasaph, Ambassador of Thailand to Nepal, handed over the royal assents granted by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of the Kingdom of Thailand, Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana and Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati to the Government of Nepal and its people through Mr. Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister of Health and Population, in support of Nepal’s efforts to alleviate the current outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

The royal assents consisted of 1,000,000 surgical masks, 4,520 PPE gowns, 10,000 leg covers, 10,000 surgical caps, 5,000 face shields, 20,000 rapid antigen test sets, 600 fingertip pulse oximeters, 1,500 digital thermometers, 1,000 body bags, 30 high flow nasal cannulas oxygen units and 8 automatic 10L oxygen concentrators bestowed by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, as well as 7,000 PPE gowns bestowed by Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati. They were delivered to Kathmandu, Nepal by the special flight of the Royal Thai Air Force on 30 May 2021.

The said medical items were granted upon the request of the Right Honourable Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal, to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkor Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua on 16 May 2021. In addition to Mr. Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister of Health and Population, representing the Government of Nepal and its people, Honorable Mr. Pradip Kumar Gyawali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Honorable Mr. Krishna Gopal Shrestha, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, were also present at the handover ceremony.

In addition, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua granted further food and cooking items and medical supplies for the Royal Thai Monastery Lumbini including the monks, nuns, volunteers and Thai nationals residing in Nepal. The additional royal assents comprised of an oxygen concentrator, vitamins, herbal extracts, vermicelli, grilled fish, dried shrimp, noodle seasoning, a gas rice cooker, soaps, toothpastes, shampoos, among others, which were transported to Nepal via the Royal Thai Air Force’s flight as well.

The royal donations underscore the strong ties and friendship between Thailand and Nepal at all levels. Previously, on 14 and 28 May 2021, Thailand donated altogether 63 oxygen concentrators to Nepal, reflecting Thailand’s continued efforts to assist Nepal and bring our two peoples closer in preventing and combating the spread of COVID-19 together.