Awareness campaigns

The recent Supreme Court directive to various government bodies to formulate laws to make

pre-marital HIV/AIDS test compulsory is a timely and responsible ruling. HIV is spreading like wildfire among the Nepali population. The government bodies must follow the order without delay. It is, however, understood the socio-cultural realities will make it difficult to

implement the court order. The multi-ethnic groups are so closely knit, that it is not always possible to conduct tests on those who wish to get married.

A chunk of the population in Nepal still prefers to elope or enter into illicit relationship or indulge in unsafe sexual practices which are the main reasons behind the rapid spread of the dreaded disease. In some parts of the country, polygamy is also prevalent and this makes it even more difficult to implement the court ruling. Moreover, in rural areas, people do not have access to vital health services, let alone the facility to go for HIV/AIDS check up. Mandatory tests, therefore, are easier said than done and applies only to those in urban areas where people have easy access to health facilities. Awareness alone is the greatest tool to fight this disease.

For this, AIDS awareness programmes and anti-AIDS campaigns should be launched in the rural villages where people are unaware of the danger of the AIDS epidemic and its mode of transmission. Though the government and non-governmental organisations have been launching various programmes, they are yet to make any perceptible impact in the far-flung

districts.

Ambika Pandey, Chitawan

TV schedule

The new size has given a swanky look to THT. It is also packed with information on various topics and that naturally makes it a good pick. Space constraints aside, I would appreciate if you could accommodate a greater range of TV schedule in the second page. From a reader’s perspective, I can recommend you to shrink the message column to make space for the TV

programme schedule.

Reshma Shakya, Bhaktapur

Global Fund

It has been some three years now that the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and

Tuberculosis received various proposals from Nepal. Some of them were accepted and promised funding but are yet to materialise. A few days back the MOH officials were at Godavari as usual with the UN backers promising empty dreams couched as Round 5 call for proposals for the Global Fund. Instead of proposal vetting, people were drinking and dancing away the evening.

Without the boss immediately around in the MoH office, other staff seem to be having a good time swiping precious donor commitments under the Global Fund with their inaction and vested interests. The UNDP has added its pile of donor malaise by making strategic mistakes in being the management support agency and introduced more politics in the past one year than the past three years combined. Hope that HIV/AIDS becomes a major priority in Nepal and that committed donors in particular America, Japan and the European Union will take a lead in salvaging the lost image of the Global Fund and its empty promises in Nepal. People with HIV and AIDS have as much a life and promise to lead. 

Dr Seema Ghale,

Kathmandu