The article “Majority of radiologists are quacks” published in THT on July 30 has drawn the attention of Nepal Radiologists’ Association (NRA) and the medical community.

Reading the article, we feel that the correspondent seems to have not done her homework properly. She has not been able to differentiate between a radiologist and a radiographer. The nature of work and qualifications of the two are different even though they work together.

Radiologists are doctors who finish their MBBS and complete a three-year post graduation course in radiology and are registered with the Nepal Medical Council and need a license to practice. There are less than 100 radiologists in the country. Radiographers are technicians and not doctors. They mostly work under the supervision of the radiologists.

As with all scientific inventions, there are some side effects which can occur very rarely with the use of medical radiation. In fact, the benefits of radiology far outweigh the side effects. There is also a wrong message to the general public about MRI and USG. Though they are also imaging instruments, they do not use ionising radiation. They do not have the side effects of radiation. Finally, there are international norms regarding radiation

protection measures to be adopted by hospitals and clinics.

Dr Benu Lohani, General Secretary, NRA

Nice piece

The article on organic agriculture published in THT on Wednesday was a nice departure. It was a good attempt on the part of R N Sharma even though it only provides a conceptual

picture of the practice. But organic agriculture is a promising field. But the production and processing of organic products are technical issues and the vast aspects of this science

cannot be explained in a single write up.The article states the complexities associated with the use of chemicals in a country like Nepal where the supporting infrastructure is inadequate. Incorporating it without studying the merits and demerits of organic farming would be impractical. But with some changes in the existing agricultural approach, organic farming can still emerge as a promising science.

Site-specific organic farming might be a good idea to encourage agro-forestry. It is also environmental friendly. Nepal is rich in biodiversity and this is one more reason why we should encourage organic farming. Diverse ecosystems will prove an advantage for the same. This will aid eco-tourism too. But for that to happen, the government and the private sector will have to join hands.

Maheswar Ghimire,

Kathmandu

New draft

This is in response to the news entitled “Refugees to draft the statute” published in THT on July 30. I appreciate and encourage the parties involved in taking such a historical initiative. The draft of the constitution prepared by the government of Bhutan last March failed to address many concerns of those Bhutanese living in exile. The idea of drafting a parallel statute would make the Bhutanese government aware of the flaws it adopted in drafting the earlier statute. Such a task requires an extensive study of national as well as international

constitutions, involvement of legal and rights experts and joint participation of all the political parties in exile.

Sumit Tamang , Beldangi