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Kathmandu Monday March 05, 2001 Falgun 22, 2057.
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Turn westard
Every year there are outbreaks of measles and
other contagious diseases in Kalikot and other
places which claim hundreds of human lives. These are a recurrent phenomenon that starts
in early spring and ends in autumn. Food scarcity another threat looming large over this
unfortunate region has also become a matter of grave concern. Yet, the government has
neither taken measures to contain the disease that kills so many people nor has it been
able to prevent it in time. As a result, hundreds of innocent people, especially children
and women, succumb to this preventable - and curable - disease every time it attacks. This
apart, absence of adequate medical facilities and medical personnel at local primary
health centres also has made things worse. Had the government provided enough medical
facilities or manned Kalikot and its surrounding districts with adequate medical or
paramedical personnel as measures to prevent such an onslaught, the situation would have
certainly been better than what it is today.
At least 26 children have died of in an
outbreak of measles in three village development committees of Kalikot district last week.
The report further claims that over 50 children have been already affected by this
preventable disease. Of the total deaths, 16 died in Chhapre VDC, eight succumbed to the
disease in Pankha and two died of the same disease in Chilkhaya VDC. Unfortunately, the
officials at the local primary health centres have neither taken any initiative to contain
the measles outbreak, nor are the affected children likely to be spared by this disease.
It should be recalled here that the last year alone, more than 300 people had died of
similar disease and food shortage. This happened due to "criminal negligence" on
the part of the government. There was hardly anything worthwhile done to contain the
epidemic. As a result, the disease spread to adjoining districts and claimed hundreds of
precious human lives. This year too the same thing seems to be happening.
It is true but sad that, compared to others, the
Karnali region is the least developed region in the country. People live under poor and
unhealthy living conditions without basic amenities and have no access to even basic
education and health facilities. Humla, Jumla, Rolpa and Dolpa are other remote districts
which suffer from preventable diseases and food shortage, and above all from gross neglect
from central authorities. The nett result of such government neglect has been that the
people of the region seem to be virtually isolated from the national mainstream and
nothing has been done in the past decade of democracy to rectify the wrong. No wonder
Maoist insurgents find a fertile ground in these areas to propagate their political
ideology to receptive brains that do not see their own government doing anything for them.
The government in the capital must give up its narcissistic attitude and realise that
governing a country means more than catering to sycophants and camp followers but caring
for the common people, more importantly those who live in the neglected remote areas of
the kingdom. The government must act now to make up for the lost time and begin
development process in west Nepal not merely to contain the rise of Maoism but because the
people there deserve no less.
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