PROVIDE SUCCOUR
The
Kathmandu Post
9 April
2017
PROVIDE
SUCCOUR
It was disheartening to learn
that the government has not made much progress in rebuilding the health
facilities damaged by the devastating earthquakes two years ago (“Only
a quarter of damaged health facilities rebuilt” April 5, Page 3).
About 628 health facilities were completely destroyed in the affected areas.
According to the Project Implementation Unit of the Health Ministry, only 27
percent of them have been rebuilt. And, not all of them have even been utilized
due to delay in the handover process. Most of the health facilities are being run
either under the tents or in rented rooms. This shows how ineffectively the government
has been functioning. Why has it been so slow in rebuilding these damaged health
facilities?
The
slow-paced reconstruction of health facilities has hampered the delivery of services
to the needy. Though some INGOs promised the government that they would help rebuild
the damaged infrastructure, their promises are yet to be fulfilled. There also seems
to be a problem of land, which is not easily donated by communities. According
to a government policy, land donation should be sought to set up health
facilities. This policy has adversely affected the reconstruction process in
most of the earthquake affected districts. The government should not follow
this unrealistic policy at such a time of urgency. It should find appropriate
solutions to speed up the reconstruction process of all the damaged health
facilities
The
government also seems to have totally failed to make loans more accessible for earthquake
victims (“NRB asked to ensure easy loans
to quake victims” April 5, Page 3). The cumbersome bureaucratic process in
obtaining loans has made quake victims lives more difficult. They have been
forced to spend their lives under makeshift camps for the last two years.
Monsoon is not too far away. Elderly people and children may die of water borne
diseases and land-slides. Are the government and other concerned authorities
aware of these situations? Does the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA)
have proper data on victims who have not even received the first instalment of government
aid and who still live in makeshift camps? It is time for the government and the
NRA to be active under the new leadership: they must provide succour to the earthquake
victims.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2017-04-09/provide-succour.html
