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

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