Kathmandu, November 5, 2005

Nepal is falling behind on the issue of curbing the use of tobacco which could, among others, result in the country not having any say in the upcoming conference of 100 odd nations in February 2006. Representatives of 100 countries that have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will be gathering in the Swiss city of Geneva through February 6-17 to chalk up a future road map. The conference will thrash up modalities of the implementation aspect, with countries which have not ratified the treaty least likely to have any say. They will also have no say in funding and enforcement issues or in negotiations of related issues. “We call the government to immediately submit the tobacco treaty for ratification. The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) must ratify it”, said Surjya Kumari Amatya of the Non-Smokers Rights Association of Nepal (NOSMORAN). Another agency, which is advocating for the treaty’s ratification, is the Janak Memorial Service Centre. The deadline for the same expires on November 8. Stating that Nepal is obliged to ratify the treaty, Amatya said that if the government does not do the needful it will be rendering the treaty it signed on December 3, 2004, meaningless. The ratification demands ban on tobacco adverts, promotion and sponsorship even as it demands large and graphic health warnings on cigarette packs.

Valley hospitals ‘ill-equipped’ to handle major quake

Kathmandu, November 5, 2005

The hospitals in Kathmandu will not be able to handle the casualties if a big earthquake hits the valley, Amod Dixit, executive director of National Society for Earthquake Technology, Nepal, said. Speaking on the occasion of “Earthquake Awareness Programme,” organised by Physicians for Social Responsibility Nepal with the technical support of NSET, Dr Dixit said that the level of awareness among the people was dismal. “Nepal is prone to earthquakes. It has witnessed an earthquake of about seven Richter Scale in magnitude every eight years. We are in a very vulnerable position, but we are still not taking concrete measures to mitigate the effects in case of a major quake,” Dr Dixit said. Hospitals are located in vulnerable places themselves and if an earthquake like the one that hit Kathmandu in 1934 were to strike the Valley again, it would be very difficult to reach the hospitals as access roads, bridges and other infrastructure would have been damaged, he said. “Nepal is equipped to cope with earthquakes, but due to the lack of institutionalised efforts, we have been unable to minimise the risks posed by a big quake,” Dixit said, adding, there is also the need for the laws that ensure the safety of places safe.