It is a matter of great relief for all well-wishers of President Ram Baran Yadav that the small legion spotted in his large intestine is not cancerous. At a time the country is without a plenipotentiary head of government, any serious illness to the head of state who has been playing a vital coordinating role between the political parties since the dissolution of CA last May, could have further destabilized an already fragile political climate. But his medical trip to Japan has also raised some very troubling questions about the quality of healthcare system in the country and the apparent willingness of the top politicians to misuse vital state resources. We are not for a moment suggesting that the country’s head of the state does not deserve the best medical care, wherever it is available in the world. But the question that has been rankling in many people’s mind is: Why was he rushed off to Japan without even consulting the cancer specialists in the country, at the cost of millions of rupees to the cash-strapped economy? Are our healthcare institutions (and in this case, our cancer facilities in particular) incapable of making even preliminary diagnosis of suspected diseases? [break]
If any other top politician had undertaken the expensive sojourn, perhaps it would not have created such a ruckus. But President Yadav, himself a medical doctor, had set an exemplary precedent by relying on government hospitals in the country whenever he needed any kind of medical treatment in the past. This was in sharp contrast to other top politicians who have been known to fly abroad for the treatment of most innocuous diseases. Such a gesture not only boosted people’s confidence in government hospitals, but also gave President Yadav a high moral ground. But at one stroke, he risks shattering his Spartan image and imbuing Nepalis with deep doubt over the reliability of their medical professionals and healthcare institutions. Leave alone government hospitals, the hasty medical trip suggests that even our private healthcare institutions (and there are 99 private hospitals in Kathmandu alone) are no good in diagnosis and treatment of major illnesses.
But we would still like to give President Yadav some benefit of doubt. He might have had private reasons to opt for the rather expensive diagnosis at the University of Tokyo Hospital. He has had a chance to observe cancer up close. Perhaps too close. He was the physician of BP Koirala, serving the ailing Nepali Congress leader during the last days of his struggle with throat cancer. President Yadav has also lost his wife and a younger brother to cancer. This could be the reason he wanted to rule out cancer so bad, even at substantial cost to the country. There have also been competing accounts of on whose suggestion he was taken abroad. It is thus important that the cloud of uncertainty surrounding his medical trip to Japan be cleared by the President’s Office at the earliest. When thousands of Nepalis are making do without even basic necessities in the flood-ravaged Far West, the least they can hope from their President is an honest explanation.
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