Nepal expresses 'deep gratitude' to Israel as emergency teams prepare to return home
Israel's field hospital treated over 1,000 patients during its 10 days of operation
By YAAKOV LAPPIN, REUTERSNepal thanks Israeli medical team as it packs up its field hospital
The IDF field hospital in Nepal was shipped off for Israel on Sunday after its humanitarian mission was completed in the earthquake-stricken country.The hospital’s medical personnel carried out 85 operations on injured Nepalese civilians. Eight babies were born in it, including two births requiring cesarean section operations.The IDF Home Front Command scanned 332 public buildings to check whether they were still stable, and held 605 safely courses for the Nepalese general public.The 60-bed field hospital was based in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, in its army’s cantonment compound following the earthquake that killed over 7,900 people and injured more than 16,000. It was in operation for 10 days.During the period it became the preferred hospital for some of the injured to come for treatment and some pregnant mothers came to deliver their babies.At a small function to mark the closure of the emergency aid facility, Nepal’s Urban Development Minister Narayan Khadka expressed his government’s gratitude to Israel for its help.“Let me express our sincere gratitude to the government of Israel and to the people of Israel for helping us in times of very critical hours for Nepal,” Khadka said.The hospital offered operating rooms, imaging facilities, advanced labs and an intensive care section with 150 Israelis taking care of its patients. It also had a synagogue and a kosher kitchen.Ambassador to Nepal Yaron Mayer said he was optimistic about the nation’s future.“I did mention that Nepal is crying and the whole world is crying, but I also said that I am optimistic for the future and looking ahead, things are now starting to rebuild. It will take time I know, but things will be better and Nepal will be stronger and we will be united working for these challenges,” Mayer said.The quake has affected 8 million of Nepal’s 28 million people, with at least 3 million needing tents, water, food and medicine over the next three months, the United Nations said. About 519,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed.The government said the cost of the first phase of reconstruction would be $2 billion and it had set aside $200 million towards that.