At a time when the entire country is reeling from the scourge of the dengue virus and witnessing a new surge in Covid-19 cases, the Nepalese Parliamentary Party released its election manifesto on Saturday, promising free medical services.
Interestingly, the manifesto didn’t mention a single word about epidemics.
The ruling party also made some unrealistic promises, such as cutting non-communicable disease mortality by a third.
“I don’t think the promises mentioned in the NC’s election manifesto will be carried out,” said Dr. Baburam Marasini, former director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. “This manifesto only talks about results, but is tight-lipped about the process. Even the ruling party does not know how the promises mentioned in the election manifesto will be carried out.”
Among the pledges made in the manifesto, most relate to the Sustainable Development Goals that Nepal has internationally committed to achieve.
According to the NC Manifesto, the maternal mortality rate, currently at 236, will decrease to 80 per 100,000 live births over the next five years. In addition, the party has pledged to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases, which currently account for 71% of all deaths, by a third.
Life expectancy, currently 71.45, will be extended to 73, the NC manifesto said without elaborating.
Experts say multiple factors such as access to health care, hygiene, diet, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and crime rates determine life expectancy, but the manifesto doesn’t say much about them. Hmm.
Public health expert Dr Vinjawala Shrestha said: “There is no need to mention the SDGs in political party election manifestos, because the state itself has already made a commitment and successive governments have committed to it.” . “Political parties should only commit to what they can do.”
The manifesto makes lofty announcements to cover all those with government health insurance, but currently only about 20% have government health insurance. This scheme covers the treatment of serious illnesses of insured persons.
Similarly, the parties have promised to increase the insured amount from the existing Rs.100,000 to Rs.1 million. However, in practice, many medical facilities have stopped providing free treatment under insurance programs because the government failed to refund the money on time.
According to the manifesto, treatment is free for children under the age of 3 and seniors over the age of 73.
The government had previously decided to provide free treatment for children under the age of three, but the program was never implemented. The current government has also declared free emergency services, but even major hospitals, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, have not implemented this program.
The NC Manifesto also promises to reduce existing malnutrition rates, free insurance for everyone over 65, people with disabilities, single women and female community health volunteers. Providing free sanitary pads to all women and filling all vacancies in health care facilities if re-elected in federal and state legislative elections scheduled for next month are among other promises made by the party. It’s one.
Most of the health experts interviewed by The Washington Post criticized the authorities’ lax approach to containing the ongoing dengue epidemic. They said many of the promises incorporated into the new manifesto were copied from previous election manifestos.
Moreover, some of these promises are already in the implementation stage or unrealistic, they said.
“I don’t think any of the programs mentioned in the manifesto will be implemented, and the NC isn’t the only one who mentions unrealistic slogans in the manifesto. Other parties will do the same.” Mahendra Shrestha, former chief specialist at the Ministry of Health, said, “What is preventing the incumbent government, led by NC, from filling vacancies in the health sector?”
