PHA-Exchange> Letter from Nepal

[Claudio]

Our lives are not for sale!

Human values and wisdom can never be imprisoned

Mathura P. Shrestha

People's Health Movement (PHM) and way forward

Some organizations within the People's Health Movement because they are dependent on foreign funds prefer to remain on neutral ground. The criticisms are not forthcoming and they refuse to challenge the deviations in the WHO. The fact is that several UN institutions have also moved away from their initial intent. Their efforts are half hearted which do not sufficiently take up issues of the poor and the week, be it international peace-keeping, human rights monitoring or other advocacy efforts. United Nations today has allowed itself to be captive to so called global powers like the US. 

PHM has to move forward. This is the time to work with the people. I believe that PHM should be courageous enough to be part of people and should rely on them for its development. If we rely on international funding and development agencies, we will be subservient to the imperialists' agenda. We will move forward but will not get very far.

On WHO, World Bank, IMF

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its attempts to appease the World Bank and other forces of capitalist globalization has drifted far away from the spirit of its constitution. Civil society organizations and networks including the People's Health Movement have not been courageous enough to question the WHO. The criticism has not been strong or sharp enough. This is the time to challenge the WHO in the international court. Drifting away from the constitution is a violation of the constitution. 

International Financial Institutions (IFIs) including the WTO, WB and IMF work in tandem with the transnational corporations to increase profits at the expense of the people. The disparity between the poor and the rich in every country is increasing rapidly. Their attempt to deny poorer countries scientific information and technology through patents and Intellectual Property Rights is despicable. Human values and wisdom can never be imprisoned. 

Health situation in Nepal

The health system in Nepal has broken down completely because the Nepali Government and the international agencies have drifted away from 'Health for All' concept. The health sector is today is privatized. This translates, as in every other parts of the world, into more expensive health cares and medicines for the poor. Access to these is in any case difficult for the poor. To retaliate against the increasing Maoist control, the government has blockaded roads and prevented the transfer of the health workers and essential medical equipment. 

The Maoists claim that they follow a traditional system of healing. They regularly train paramedics and had at one point even started a medical college. Health has to be understood in holistic manner. Any thing that relates to living is also related to health. What is there on earth which is not related to life and living?

Traditional medicine is effective in some instances, scientific methods in others. Nepal has a rich history of traditional systems of medicine including ayurveda, naturopathy, and many others. I noticed that one system which we call 'Dhami Jhankri' is very similar to the systems followed by the indigenous peoples here (in Ecuador). I do not deny that the traditional methods of healing have a definite role but what is essential is a multi-dimensional approach. Leaning heavily towards modern medicinal concepts, which are largely profit-oriented, is dangerous because health is treated as a commodity. Neither health nor the health care can be commoditized. 

In Nepali rural areas, women say that they are using 'modern' medicines when in fact they are following traditional methods of healing. That's because in traditional societies, people are taught that what comes from outside is good. It is a colonization of mind. But this is not easily visible at all. Health researchers and workers need to delve into the subject deeply to realize this, simple surface observation will not do. There is an absolute need to live with the people, to understand them and share their experiences before treating them. 

Conflict in Nepal

The king has formed the present government illegally and outside the framework of the constitution. However, about 80% of the area is controlled by Maoists while only 20%, mainly cities and towns, is under the government's control. 

Extra judicial deaths, rapes, disappearances, abductions are common in Nepal since both the Maoists and the government military forces are responding to the situation violently. The fact remains however that number of people killed by the government military forces are at least three times more than those by the Maoists. I have spoken to some soldiers, chief district officers and others who have been released by the Maoists. All of them told me that they were treated well. While there was no luxury, they eat what the Maoists eat, slept where they slept. The Maoists have abided by the Geneva Convention according to them. They treated them courteously. 

However, those arrested by the government as suspected Maoists have talked of the torture and violence they faced at their hands. I have not met a single person who testified that they were treated well. 

I believe that gun culture is very bad for the wellbeing of people. Gun makes the makers and holders of it headless demons. They loose the capacity to distinguish between right and wrong. There is a lot of violence especially since the government does not respect human rights. Innocent people are caught in between. 

We need to remember that conflicts do not arise in a vacuum. In a society where there are social, cultural and economic injustices, where disparities exist between the rich and the poor, there will be conflict, sometimes armed conflicts. 

Nepal's conflict needs to be solved by political means, not military methods. The conflict cannot be resolved even if the government increases its military forces by 10 or 20 fold. It is the same with the Maoists. In the current situation, they are strengthening each other and contributing to the violence. I believe that the vicious circle can only be broken by political dialogue. We need to look at the roots of the problems. We need to look for political, social, economic and cultural transformations so that the people will win.

Although I do not subscribe to the Maoists violent methods, their political agenda are very relevant. These are in consonance with the hearts and minds of the people.

[The article is based on the interview by the editorial staff of Daily Alert with me and the article is printed in PHA2 Pijuano - Daily Alert, Cuenca-Ecuador 2005; 21 July, 2005: Pages 1-2. The article is freely reproducible - MPS].

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