Kathmandu (NRCS/ICRC) - The first aid teams of the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) in Kathmandu have been busy providing medical care to persons who were injured during the street protests and gatherings marking the first of the countrywide three-day general strike called by United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M).
The protests turned violent due to scuffles between protesters and the Police in some parts of Kathmandu resulting in casualties, and the NRCS emergency response teams provided first aid on spot. A total of 46 persons were provided first aid services, this included injured protesters and passer-by civilians, ten of them with serious injurious were later on removed to various hospitals in the NRCS ambulances.
"We want to provide our services to all without any discrimination, and we must be allowed to do that," said Rajendra Shrestha the team leader of Red Cross volunteers. The ICRC and NRCS take this opportunity to remind the law enforcement officials and protesters to respect the right of wounded persons to medical aid; it also calls for a free and unimpeded access for the humanitarian workers particularly the ambulances carrying wounded and sick to be allowed to move freely in pursuit of their tasks.
For more information, please contact:
Indra Adhikari,
Director Communication Officer NRCS
Tel: +977-1-4285089 or +977- 9851086198
Rafiullah Qureshi,
ICRC Kathmandu,
Tel: +977 1 4482285 or +977 98510 34638