Such unethical practices by a few unscrupulous health personnel could also lead to job losses in the labour destinations
Recurring incidents of fake PCR (polymerase chain reaction) reports being issued by unscrupulous lab technicians raise questions about the credibility of not only our hospitals and labs but also that of the country's overall health system. In the latest episode, police have arrested four lab technicians from two hospitals of the Kathmandu Valley for issuing fake PCR test reports for COVID-19 to the people, mostly migrant workers. Following a covert operation carried out by the Metropolitan Police Crime Division, the police were able to nab four employees of Bhaktapur-based Nagarik Community Teaching Hospital and Kathmandu-based Kantipur Hospital. Two more accomplices in the crime are absconding. The arrest of one, Roshan Kumar Chintan, from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Tuesday morning with eight fake PCR reports for passengers who were readying to fly abroad but had tested positive, had led to the arrest of the other three. Chintan, besides working as the middle man for technicians of Kantipur Hospital, was also the lab manager of Civil Hospital at Min Bhawan.
This is not the first time that the police have busted such rackets indulging in issuing fake negative PCR reports for a hefty fee. In April last year, as many as 122 passengers – mostly migrant workers heading for the Gulf – were arrested from the TIA on a single day for submitting fake PCR reports at the airport's health desk. The fake reports had been prepared by Sooriya Health Care Pvt Ltd. and Merit Multicare Medical Centre, which had charged Rs 9,000 per report. Surely, there must be many more rackets involved in issuing fake PCR reports to desperate migrant workers who are ready to pay a good price for them. In Tuesday's incident, the arrested lab technicians were said to be charging Rs 10,000 for a fake report.
The circulation of fake PCR reports is a blot on the country's image, and there is much more at stake than just the credibility of our healthcare system. The Hong Kong administration, for instance, has already slapped multiple suspensions on Nepal Airlines flights after passengers tested positive for the virus despite bearing negative PCR reports. Suspicious of the PCR reports coming from private hospitals or labs, the Hong Kong administration had refused to recognise them, but even reports issued by government health institutions have turned out to be faulty.
Should other foreign airports come to know of such malpractices operating in Nepal, it could lead to many more suspensions of Nepal Airlines flights. It makes little sense in barring international flights from certain countries when we are unable to put our own health system in order. Such unethical practices by a few unscrupulous health personnel could also lead to job losses in the labour destinations, which are wary about the coronavirus that has refused to go away even after two full years of the pandemic.
Thus, strict vigilance is required at the TIA to keep the flights and the passengers safe and also uphold the image of the country abroad. The police must be commended for busting rackets involved in issuing fake PCR reports time and again. Many more covert operations are required to eliminate them altogether.
Water conservation
The Ministry of Drinking Water is all set to implement the 'Integrated Water Resource Conservation Programme' across the country with a view to protecting and conserving water resources that are used for generating electricity and drinking and irrigation purposes. Water resources play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem. Recent studies have shown that the water level has depleted due to the 2015 earthquake that led to massive landslides in the hilly and mountainous regions, which are the water towers supporting millions of people in the plains.
We can conserve water resources by planning trees, protecting big natural reservoirs and wetlands and avoiding cultivating marginalised land for agriculture purposes. Local communities should be roped in the process by raising awareness among the people who are the direct beneficiaries of the water resources. Making a grandiose plan is not going to work unless the government works together with the local people, who understand well how to conserve the water resources in their localities. Rather than building big dams for irrigation, the government should also devise a plan to harvest rainwater that can be used for irrigation and drinking purposes.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 4, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
