10-16 July 2015 #766

Combat gauze missing

Santosh Pokharel in Nagarik, 29 June

A consignment of life-saving combat gauze donated by an American drug company for treatment of people wounded by Nepal’s earthquakes has gone missing. No one knows whether the consignment was misplaced or stolen, which could have probably saved many lives after the disaster.

Z-Medica, manufacturer of QuickClot Combat Gauze, had couriered 2,750 packets of these first-aid kits to Nepal, and these were meant to be distributed by Nepal Share, a Kathmandu-based NGO, to all hospitals in the earthquake-affected districts. Mohan Pahari, who previously worked for Z-Medica, had requested the company for these first-aid kits, which are now widely used by US troops to stop bleeding from wounds and cuts.

“I got a call from Nepal Airlines cargo to receive the delivery, but when I went to the airport, the shipment was missing,” Pahari says.

Kamal Gyawali from the cargo department of Nepal Airlines says, “We searched for the consignment in every possible place, but we didn’t find it. We are not sure if it went missing after being delivered to Nepal or it did not arrive here at all.”

Max Khatri, President of Nepal Share, says QuickClot combat gauzes were precious first-aid items and could have been helpful to save lives of people wounded by the earthquakes and landslides. “We lost a precious gift due to someone’s negligence,” he says. “Nepal Airlines must investigate the matter.”

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Nepal Airlines can be world class

Tags: QuickClot, earthquake, missing, Nepal Airlines cargo, first-aid kits