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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Our lives are not for
sale!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Human values and wisdom can never be
imprisoned<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><?xml:namespace prefix =
st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:City><st1:place>Mathura</st1:place></st1:City> P.
Shrestha</FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">People’s Health Movement (PHM) and way
forward<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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
<st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">On WHO, World Bank, IMF<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Health situation
in </B><st1:country-region><st1:place><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Nepal</B></st1:place></st1:country-region><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p></o:p></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>The health system in
<st1:country-region><st1:place>Nepal</st1:place></st1:country-region> 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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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?</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Traditional medicine is effective in some instances, scientific methods
in others. <st1:country-region><st1:place>Nepal</st1:place></st1:country-region>
has a rich history of traditional systems of medicine including <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">ayurveda</I>, naturopathy, and many others.
I noticed that one system which we call ‘<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Dhami Jhankri</I>’ is very similar to the
systems followed by the indigenous peoples here (in
<st1:country-region><st1:place>Ecuador</st1:place></st1:country-region>). 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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Conflict in
</B><st1:country-region><st1:place><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Nepal</B></st1:place></st1:country-region><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p></o:p></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Extra judicial deaths, rapes, disappearances, abductions are common in
<st1:country-region><st1:place>Nepal</st1:place></st1:country-region> 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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><st1:country-region><st1:place>Nepal</st1:place></st1:country-region>’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.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>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.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">[The article is based on
the interview by the editorial staff of Daily Alert with me and the article is
printed in <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">PHA2 Pijuano - Daily Alert,
Cuenca-Ecuador</I> 2005; 21 July, 2005: Pages 1-2. The article is freely
reproducible – MPS].<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>