March 3, 2003
 Grassroots Grant Assistance for the Construction of a Health Care Center
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The Embassy of Japan in Nepal has decided to extend financial assistance to the Miyagi International Assistance Association (Japanese NGO) for the implementation of the Project for the Construction of a Health Care Center at Kagati Village of Nuwakot District, in JFY 2002 under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) scheme of the Government of Japan.
A grant contract to this effect was signed and exchanged in Kathmandu today between Kazumi Suzuki, Charge d' Affaires of Japan, and Shin Suzuki, President, Miyagi International Assistance Association, Japan.
Under this grant, the Embassy will provide forty-eight thousand, eight hundred and forty-one US dollars (US$48,841), equivalent to approximately three million, seven hundred ninety-seven thousand, three hundred and eighty-eight Nepalese rupees (NRs. 3,797,388), to construct a health care center building consisting of a check-up room, clinic room, dispensary room, meeting room, kitchen room and other facilities at Kagati village. The grant is also intended for the procurement of furniture and office materials necessary for the center, as well as monitoring cost of the project work by Japanese NGO personnel.
Although Kagati village is situated at a distance of 15 km North-West of Kathmandu, it lags far behind in development. There are no health service facilities. The local people, who are subsistence farmers, are facing great difficulties in getting medical services even for minor diseases. Therefore, the project aims to provide immediate medical treatment and basic health assistance to the people in the village. The center will be staffed by five medical personnel including a doctor and nurses, and plans to provide services such as general check-up, pathological tests, emergency treatment, as well as simultaneously impart essential information on preventative health care, basic sanitation and nutrition to the children and villagers. The operation and maintenance of the center will be carried out by the Miyagi International Assistance Association in close collaboration with Lions Club of Kathmandu, Sukunda.
The Government of Japan in the past has encouraged grassroots activities in the health sector of Nepal by extending grant assistance to several organizations for implementing grassroots projects. Those projects are essential in uplifting the health of rural communities, and have been contributing to the accessibility and effectiveness of essential health services in rural areas. It is expected that after the project completion, the health care center at the Kagati village will also be able to respond more efficiently to the community's demand for health services.
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