Hyped health campaign turns dud

KATHMANDU, Aug 1: The much-hyped unified health campaign launched by the government in four districts three weeks ago to curb the outbreak of seasonal diseases has failed to take off due to lack of funds.



Though the campaign was inaugurated by the minister for health and population himself, sources said the Ministry of Health and Population does not have funds for the campaign and it is unlikely to be implemented this monsoon.[break]



Eight districts were selected for the campaign. The ministry had said the government would provide chlorine, rehydration salt [Jeevanjal, Navajeevan) and toilet soaps to the people free of cost in the campaign districts. Apart from that people in the districts were to be provided primary health services at their homes and government volunteers were to clean drinking water sources.



A source of the ministry said that the campaign was launched under pressure from the minister in the end of the last fiscal year.  



"The ministry cannot arrange funds for the campaign in the end of a fiscal year," Director of the Epidemiology and Diseases Control Division (EDCD) Chudamani Bhandari said, adding, "The regional health directorates do not have funds to hire staff for the campaign."



According to the Primary Health Revitalization Division (PHRD), the government has to bring a separate act to implement the campaign. Jajarkot, Rukum, Bajura, Mugu, Taplejung, Parsa, Rautahat, and Kapilvastu districts were selected for the campaign. The ministry selected those districts on the basis of their poor ranking in the human development index.



"The program has not yet been launched in Kapilvastu, Parsa, Rautahat and Mugu," Dr Bhim Singh Tinkery, director of PHRD, said. He said the PHRD has yet to get reports about the campaign from the districts.

 

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