Assurance On Ordinances

IT is desirable that the Opposition members of parliament take an active interest in and support Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s peace bid vis-à-vis the Maoist problem. But for them to oppose certain legitimate governmental efforts to address the country’s law and order situation, is perhaps not the right thing to do in the present situation. By opposing the introduction of the Armed Police Force Ordinance-2057 and Local Administration (Fourth Amendment)-2057 ordinance on Tuesday, the Opposition parties appeared to have preferred to engage in oppositional politics just for the sake of it instead of going for constructive and productive discussions on the ordinances. The Opposition bid fell through as the majority of the parliamentarians rejected the opposition’s proposal to block its introduction in the parliament. The Opposition lawmakers now owe it to their allegiance to parliamentary practice to discuss the ordinances in a dispassionate manner. They should take heart from Premier Deuba’s categorical statement in the House Tuesday where he sought to allay their fears that the passage of the ordinances might hamper the government’s much-awaited talks for peace with the Maoists. He appreciated the sentiments of the Opposition regarding this and assured them that advice from all political parties will be taken to further refine the ordinances. This assurance from the Prime Minister is positive and should be taken as his desire for consensual, rather than adversarial, politics. So is his assurance that the ordinances will not be misused.

Whatever the concerns of the Opposition, certain practicalities of the matter must also be considered. Creation of an Armed Police Force is not an overnight exercise. Prior to its establishment, much spadework had been undertaken. The result of such homework has led to Nepal already having an Armed Police Force. This wing of the police force has already had budget earmarked for it to function. Such being the fait accompli, it stands to reason that the ordinances be passed so as to give them a permanent legal status. In so far as the Opposition’s concern on the impact on talks with Maoists is concerned, it is not right to link the much-sought-after peace talks—for which the Deuba-led government has shown its commitment in more ways than one—to the passage of the ordinances. The argument for a strengthened police force remains as valid now as ever before because of the need for maintaining law and order, one of the major tasks of any government. Therefore, the Opposition should rally around the Prime Minister in facilitating the passage of the ordinances and sincerely cooperate with him in resolving the Maoist problem, which after all is a national issue and not a problem of just one particular party or a government.

More Pharmacists, Please!

THE Ministry of Health, as per a news item carried by this daily recently, is planning to chalk out a scheme of compulsory posting a pharmacist in every district health office of the country. This scheme is laudable, in that there is indeed a crying need of posting a pharmacist not only in each of the district health office of the country but also in the medical and drug stores that seem to be sprouting out, like mushrooms in the month of May, all over the nation. While the rapid proliferation of the medical halls simply cannot be faulted in that they are a ready indication of the people’s growing demand for medicines—and in some cases, health services— as far as availing safe and quality medications to them is concerned, much remains to be done. By now, it is somewhat an open secret that some medical halls are not only selling spurious and date-expired medicines by erasing their expiry dates, but are also turning a Nelson’s eye as and when buyers ask for medicines that should only be sold through doctors’ prescriptions. Ingestion of date-expired medicines by the unsuspecting buyers, as those who man the medical halls know, could lead to further medical complications. On the other hand, the selling of powerful drugs without any prescriptions could endanger the very lives of the users. And, in some cases, even to addiction. That some youths are addicted to potent cough syrups that should only be made available to the buyers through doctors’ prescriptions is a case in point.

Although there is no reliable statistics as to number of deaths and addictions caused by spurious and potent drugs sold over the counter by some drug stores, to allow the medical halls to continue with such unscrupulous practices would be akin to playing with the health and even life of the unsuspecting people and patients alike. Since access to reliable health services and medicines is one of the fundamental rights of all citizens, such malpractices on the part of some medical halls can be termed as criminal in nature and intent. While stationing pharmacists in district health offices could bring about a semblance of order in the chaotic scene noticed in the disbursement and sales of medicines by medical halls, the concerned health authorities, to strengthen their hands, need to not only enact necessary regulations but also enforce them without let or favour.