Control Them

COME rainy season, there is an outbreak of different epidemics. This has been the common phenomenon in the country for decades. Every year hundreds of the people, especially the poor fall victim to the seasonal diseases. Among them Gastroenteritis, typhoid, cholera and malaria have been the major killer diseases. Interestingly, most of the diseases are water-borne and preventable. Yet, they kill a large number of Nepalese people who lack access to clean drinking water and timely medical facilities. And Chitwan, despite being a district having all sorts of the facilities, has been the first district to suffer from the seasonal diseases this time. A news report carried by this daily the other day had it that an outbreak of typhoid and malaria in Bharatpur Municipality and the surrounding areas claimed four lives. Moreover, among the dead two had been the medical personnel of the local medical college whereas eight other nurses of the medical college and Bharatpur Hospital had been hospitalised. If the medical personnel themselves are falling victim to the diseases, one can easily guess how grave the situation there is. An estimated 2,000 people were reportedly said to be suffering from the diseases. Following the increasing cases of the typhoid and malaria, the district education committee decided to close down all the schools for a week in the district. Certainly, the decision to shut down the schools would be helpful in preventing the spread of the diseases.

But preventive measures alone will not be sufficient to control when the epidemics have already started claiming lives. More effective initiatives need to be taken to save the lives of the people. For this, opening of the health camps and mobilisation of the medical personnel at places where the diseases are most severe, is a must. Likewise, the people should be discouraged from consuming the water contaminated with Coliform bacteria, which was reportedly supplied in Bharatpur. Moreover, the concerned authorities entrusted to supply drinking water to the people should give due attention to the health of the people by examining the quality of the water they have supplied. Certainly, the spread of the malaria that was eradicated from the country over two decades ago is a big challenge. As such the authorities should be serious in checking the spread of malaria as well as other diseases by applying both preventive and controlling measures.

More Flights To UAE

AS per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between His Majesty’s Government of Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) concerning the operation of air services between the two friendly nations, the number of weekly flights of the designated airlines of the two countries would be increased from the present eight flights per week to 12 flights per week. Similarly, if the RNAC, under the present context, has been designated as the sole recognised airline company on behalf of Nepal, then the Gulf Air and Emirates Air have been named as the recognised airlines companies on behalf of the UAE. Also, while the provision of the specified airlines of both the nations to operate two cargo flights per week has been extended to four flights, an understanding has also been reached to encourage the operation of non-scheduled charter flights. The latest understanding reached between the concerned authorities of both the countries is enough proof that the UAE, of late, has become an important civil aviation partner of Nepal. For, the increase in the number of passenger and cargo flights per week between the two friendly nations is bound to have a multiplier effect not only in the existing civil aviation relations but, through them, also in other areas of mutual interest. All this should be standing Nepal, a land-locked nation, in good stead while promoting the nation’s tourism and other commercial activities in the UAE as well as in other nations that are not served by RNAC but by the Gulf Air and the Emirates Air.

It may be noted that the latest accord between the civil aviation authorities of Nepal and UAE was not Nepal’s very first. Especially concerning the frequency of flights that both the signatories’ designated airlines could operate in each other’s destinations. There were others before it. Inspite of such bilateral accords, our national flag carrier has yet to operate, leave alone upgrade, flights in some destinations specified in the accords. On the other hand, the designated airlines of other nations have either upgraded their flight frequencies to Nepal or included Nepal as its newest destination. In other words, due to RNAC’s inability to operate or upgrade flights as per the understandings reached between Nepal and other nations, Nepal has yet to derive optimal benefits. As such, if Nepal were to obtain maximum benefits from such understandings, the concerned authorities should mull over ways and means to upgrade RNAC’s flight operating capacity.