Deuba’s Hundred Days In Office
Clear Achievements

By Prem N. Kakkar

THE completion of first 100 days in office of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as the chief executive merits attention. Such a practice has been the tradition for over a decade in the democratic set up that the Nepalese people are enjoying. It is not that the first hundred days itself would reflect everything that could be done in the long run. Yet, it has to be accepted that the indications during this short period shows what direction the government is going to take in the coming days and months.

Indications

Like the Prime Minister’s speech on the plans and programmes on assumption of the high office, the hundred days offers much from which to glean what the government has in mind to tackle the multifarious problems that the country and the people face. As such it becomes more than a necessity to take stock of the developments in the time since Prime Minister Deuba assumed office.

Prime Minister Deuba took up office at a time when the Maoist insurgency problem was top on the agenda. In the backdrop was the 19th session of Parliament which saw no business all because of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist). UML was all bent on a one-point demand of the resignation of the then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. This is in no way to point that the change of leadership was an outcome of the main opposition’s House stalling tactics. The demand howsoever immature it was, did quite a bit to stop all House proceedings which was quite unfortunate. The session dubbed as the Bill Session saw no Bill being tabled or discussed. This was a loss to the nation as a whole.

Coming in the wake of the 19th session, the 20th session of the Parliament opened on an optimistic note only to be disrupted once more by the opposition parties in the House. The disruption of the House ended only when the government was formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Deuba. The first week of Prime Minister Deuba in office saw some major developments having long term ramifications. What is being hinted to here is the announcement by Deuba to stop all actions against the Maoists and in reply to this the Maoists too reciprocated by calling their own form of "cease-fire". This struck a positive note in the sense that the terror that had been created in the minds of the people in the Maoist affected areas was subdued.

The release of Maoists in custody or prison also set the tone for the government and Maoists to sit down for talks. Though there were no preconditions for the two rounds of talks that have concluded before Dashain, no breakthrough has yet been made. It was already assumed in the beginning that the first round of talks would only go to making contacts between the two parties to set the ground for intensive talks later on, and that it did. Both the government and the Maoists have made their minds clear for further rounds of talks. The Maoists’ demand for a republic and the scrapping of the Constitution has been totally rejected by the government side. On the question of the Constitution, Constitutional Monarchy and democracy, the government has made it clear that there will be no mention of it in the talks. It is this very fact that the third round of talks scheduled to be held before Dashain could not take place. It is expected that the next round of talks will take place soon.

In the meanwhile, the Maoists despite their commitment have not wholly abandoned their actions of abducting innocent people, extortion, and other uncalled for activities. The release of all the people including security personnel by the Maoists is still pending. A major demand of the Maoists for the release of their senior leader Matrika Yadav has been met but there is no commensurate response from the Maoists. The Maoists have not fulfilled the give-and-take agreement that had been concluded earlier. With this background, it can be realised why the talks have not moved forward as it should.

Whatever it may be Prime Minister Deuba’s contributions and his daring steps to bring the Maoists to sit down for talks is commendable. It is to Prime Minister Deuba’s credit that the Maoists, who had not even taken the trouble to respond to earlier calls for dialogue, have come in the open and sat twice for talks with the government representatives. This has paved the way for a conclusive resolution of the problem which has been a sore for the past six years.

Another feather in the cap of Deuba is the revolutionary land reform measures. This refers to the ceiling on land holding with the surplus land being distributed to the landless. This in itself is a measure that had long been a demand of the people. Though there may be some reservations on the part of the people with big land holdings, it is but a small step in easing the problem of the people. Though there are a number of technical problems in implementing the same but commitment can work.

Even this praiseworthy measure was opposed by some political parties represented in the House. They had called for the impossible ceiling on property. Agitation for agitation’s sake and stalling the House seems to be the only motive.

The additions and changes in the Council of Ministers were effected just before the Dashain. The 41-member cabinet was by no means small yet Prime Minister justified it as being the need of the hour. Despite raising the national expenditure on such a big cabinet, everyone should realise the intricacies involved where political maneuvering is a necessity.

Success

On the whole, the first hundred days in office by Prime Minister Deuba must be taken in a positive light: the Maoists have toned down their activities and the revolutionary land reform announced. These two are enough to show the success that has been achieved in the past three months.

Why Are Rural Hospitals Without Doctors?

By Gyan Rai

THE sick people of Saptari, Siraha and Udaypur districts, for want of doctors to fully man the Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital in Rajbiraj, are being compelled to go to other places to seek medical treatment. On top of this, the same hospital, according to news reported carried by some prominent dailies, is said to lack adequate beds to cater to the medical needs of the patients hailing from the above-mentioned three districts as well as from certain areas in the Indian state of Bihar.

Access to health facilities and services, that are affordable, reliable and comprehensive is one of the fundamental rights of the people of any country, including that of Nepal. It is for this very reason that the government of any country, including that of Nepal, allocates adequate budget every year to not only deliver health services to the doorsteps of the people but also to build hospitals, health centres and posts so that more people will have access to medical facilities. Moreover, to man these medical facilities, the government also spends a considerable amount of resources to educate and train medical personnel so that they can administer to the medical needs of the people.

Hence, to know that some citizens are being forced to travel to other places just to seek medical help because of the lack of adequate beds and doctors in the very hospital built to meet their medical needs is simply disheartening. But then, there had been such cases in the past. And if the concerned medical and health authorities don’t come up with remedial measures, then it would not be a surprise to hear of such cases in the near future too.

As a matter of fact, news of medical personnel not manning their allotted posts or not discharging their duties properly has become as common as the common cold. Especially in hospitals and health centres located in the rural areas where the vast majority of the people reside amidst few medical infrastructure and health delivery services. And with the penchant of some medical personnel posted in hospitals and health centres situated in outlying areas to play truant almost endemic, the people there may have to bear with such situations.

It may be recalled that the government, particularly the Ministry of Health, had passed necessary regulations to cater to the medical needs of the rural people who, more than the urbanites, are in dire straits as far as having easy access to medical care is concerned. To meet the medical needs of the rural folks—who, as all know, comprise the vast majority of the population as well as those who are yet to be covered by reliable medical service network—the concerned health authorities have made a provision of mandatory rotation of medical personnel from medical institutions located in the urban centres to hospitals and health posts situated in the outback. The new rule was envisaged to ensure that district-based hospitals and health centres not only have adequate medical manpower to man them all the year round but also to afford the rural folks easy access to better health care and services of noted medical specialists who, as per the rule, are been rotated to the outlying hospitals for a certain duration of time.

That this regulation has yet to be strictly implemented could be gleaned from the news reports carried by some prominent dailies pertaining to medical personnel being absent without any prior notice from certain district-located hospitals. While this speaks voluminously of the concerned authorities’ ability to ensure the medical personnel’s presence in some rural-based hospitals, it also shows that some of the medical personnel are not that shy to evade or even circumvent the existing rule.

The more so by the medical doctors and practitioners whose services are most needed by the rural folks. But what seems to be more galling to all those in dire need of their services is that the glaring absence of some medical doctors from their posts does give all the bitter feeling that these truant doctors are not being true to their oaths that they had taken whilst they were duly certified as medical doctors by their respective medical colleges after successful completing the stipulated courses and studies.

As all know, just as judges are to district-level courts, medical doctors are to district-based hospitals and health centres. If judges are absent from the district-level courts, then the deliverance of justice to the rural folks would be hampered. Similarly, without the medical doctors, the district-based hospitals and health centres simply cannot deliver the much-needed health care and services to the rural people.

Hence, if the rural folks, like their fellow urban brethren, are to get proper medical services and care, then it looks to reason for the concerned health authorities to enforce the existing rule without any let or favour. For, it is well known to all by now that some medical doctors, upon being rotated to rural-based hospitals and health centres, leave no avenues unexplored to either have the transfers canceled or, in lieu of that, to return back to their cozy posts in urban centres on one or the other pretext, mostly on deputations. On the other hand, those medical personnel who, as per the new rule, have agreed to serve in rural-based hospitals or health centres for a certain duration of time, are said to be still waiting for their rotation orders even after having served their stipulated time in those hospitals or health centres.

Yet another reason as to why medical personnel, especially those with specialized skills, are said to be hesitant to serve in the rural-based hospitals or health centres could be the lack of adequate medical equipment and facilities there. Needless to point out, most of such district-based hospitals and health centres have yet to be equipped with such equipment and facilities needed by the medical specialists to optimally deliver their specialised services and care to the rural patients. As such, if specialists are to be enticed to serve in the rural-based hospitals and the rural folks are to have easy access to their specialised medical skills, then the concerned health authorities need to gradually upgrade the equipment and other facilities of such hospitals and health centres. Also, the perks and amenities for medical personnel serving in rural-based hospitals and health centres should be raised so that they could concentrate on what they are best suited to do—herein, cater to the health and medical needs of the rural folks. And by way of encouragement, their stints in the rural hospitals and health centres should be duly commended and recognised by way of, among others, priority in promotions or further trainings abroad.

Considering the vastly lop-sided doctor to patient ratio in the nation on the one hand and the urgent need to deliver affordable, reliable and quality health care and services to the rural folks who not only comprise the vast majority of the population but are also in dire economic straits on the other, the concerned health authorities need to initiate a multi-pronged initiative.

First, they must enforce the existing regulation to ensure mandatory presence of medical personnel rotated to rural-based hospitals and health centres without let or favour. Secondly, when their terms are up, to have them rotated back to their original posts or to other posts in urban-based hospitals and clinics. Thirdly, to initiate moves to gradually upgrade the medical equipment and facilities in the rural-based hospitals and health centres so that the rural folks too can have easier access to the specialists’ healing skills. And last, but not the least, the medical personnel serving in the rural-based hospitals and health centres should be raised and their services there should be duly rewarded and recognised.

Dashain Is Best When It Is Over

By Sunil K.C.

DASHAIN is over and many are happy. Parents, who are pushed to the limit by the demand that the festival must be celebrated in the best way possible and the obligation that everyone in the family has new to wear and plenty to eat, must be glad to call it a day.

It is also a time to check the balance sheet. This may not matter for the ‘haves’ who look back at how pleasant and enjoyable it was, how much they spent or what they bought. But for those who barely scrapped through it may be time to brood over how much saving was eaten up by the festival or how much it needs to repay the loan or how to recoup the ornaments deposited at the bank or with the money-lender. Nonetheless for the hard ups, it gives some respite for the next twelve months.

Thus the saying, Dashain comes with the beating of drums, but goes leaving a burden of debt may have become a cliché, but it has never been far from reality. And why not, Dashain is a festival to be celebrated whether it is by taking loans or by selling and mortgaging ornaments. This is the time when one aspires to eat bellyful and buy something new no matter how.

For people who are strapped of money the pressure for Dashain starts building up from several months ahead. In the weeks leading to Dashain, one oft heard word is ‘in Dashain’. The son wants a new pair of shoes ‘cause the old one has a gaping hole on the sole or the daughter’s frock is in tatters and urgently needs one, the father would not hesitate to say at point blank, ‘in Dashain’. Even when the ‘better half’ wants a new sari in this Dashain (she has not had one for the last three years), it would all come in Dashain. This might give a temporary respite but the burden has already started piling up.

Putting up everything for the festival makes a long list of necessities and demands. Add to it the desire to have something better, a little more expensive and the miscellaneous like meat or one more sack of rice to feed those who come to visit and extra money to give to kids and younger ones make it virtually impossible to climb up the mountain of expenses.

Even if one finds just enough money for these expenses of the families and dependents, it always fall short to meet one’s own needs - the pants has begun to lose colour at the derrière and on the knees, the sole has begun to tear off the cover and the coat is faded on the shoulders. They will have to wait for ‘next’ Dashain. May be next year will not be any different. Even those who earn enough, money may not be enough because expense is directly proportionate to the income.

But no matter how difficult it is, the special charm of the festival is that everybody looks forward to it. This is a time to forget the worries and distress of everyday life, and to enjoy that almost always means boozing and gambling. This is also a time when those scorn and spurn booze and gambling do not mind to company the gang and have a hand or two. But for some the mood carries things a bit too far and the enjoyment turns out to be more costly than the actual festival.

But enjoyment of the festival is often dampened when one counts the cost. People may look forward to welcome the festival but many have little qualm bidding it good bye. In fact, people are gratified to come back from the festivity to the usual self and normal life.