During the monitoring visit, it is found that the isolation centers established by the local authorities have unequal facilities for the CORONA infected patients. On top of that, the Isolation centers do not meet the minimum standards set out by the Government. Especially, the sanitation and hygiene are not maintained properly, toilets, bathrooms, and cabins/rooms for males and females are not managed separately.

The patients staying at the Isolation Centres and COVID Hospitals complained that there is a facility of food and medicine in some Isolation Centres whereas some do not provide such facilities. Moti Dhakal of Khajura village said, “We do not get food here. Oxygen and medicines are available for free but we need to buy antibiotics on our own".

Recently, 7 males and 2 females are under treatment in Radhapur Health Post and Khajura Isolation Center. Likewise, 1 female and 2 males are kept at Temporary COVID Hospital of Bankatwa of Baijnath Rural Municipality. Required Doctors, Health Assistants, Assistant Health Workers, and nurses are deployed at the Isolation Centres.

The monitoring team makes the following recommendations for further improvements:

• The basic infrastructure facilities and hygiene should be improved,
• Proper sanitation facilities and separate toilets and bathrooms for male and female must be managed,
• All the medicines should be available at Isolation Centers and COVID-19 Temporary Hospitals,
• Government should ensure that the COVID-19 treatment free and accessible to all.

Banke is one of the hot spots of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal. As a civil society organization, AF-Nepal, together with other stakeholders, continues to monitor and provide recommendations to the concerned stakeholders to improve its quality and standards.