- Diarrhea turning epidemic in far-west
- Cholera-hit Jajarkot reeling under food shortage
- Govt to follow cholera protocol in treatment
A source close to the PM said Pandey was shown to be lacking in terms of coordination and reporting skills to help contain the epidemic that has already taken 132 lives in Jajarkot district alone.
“The prime minister called the home minister and instructed him to recall him (CDO) and send someone competent in his place,” Political Advisor to the PM, Raghuji Panta, told myrepublica.com.
Prime Minister Nepal has asked Home Minister Bhim Rawal to send a CDO who is competent in handling administrative responsibilities and carry out effective coordination at such a critical time.
Axe may fall on DG also
The prime minister is also unhappy with the performance of Director General of the Department of Health Services Dr Govinda Ojha and he has instructed those concerned to take necessary action.
At an all-party meeting held at his office at Singha Durbar on Saturday, the PM gave a briefing on the efforts made by the government to tackle the epidemic and provide a relief package to the diarrhea-hit populace.
During the meeting, representatives of political parties complained about lack of proper coordination and effective delivery of services. Complaints were mainly against the performance of government officials including the CDO, the DG and others.
“Study the facts about the DG´s failure in handling the situation. Take action against him if he is found to have been irresponsible,” CP Mainali, leader of the CPN (Marxist-Leninist) who was present at the meeting, quoted the prime minister as directing those concerned.
The prime minister was in a mood to transfer the DG from the department, Mainali said.
The meeting was held after the government decided to provide a relief package for diarrhea-hit people in the mid-western districts.
“We had discussed the issue of the epidemic in detail at the last cabinet meeting. And we decided to hold discussions with other political parties and stakeholders before making an announcement about the package,” Minister for Law and Justice Prem Bahadur Singh told myrepublica.com. “The meeting called by the prime minister on Saturday is a part of the plan.”
The prime minister asked the political parties for their cooperation in spreading awareness about diarrhea at village level, saying that the situation had become aggravated due to lack of awareness.
Besides the diarrhea epidemic, the law and order situation and price hikes were other items on the meeting agenda. But, the epidemic took centerstage, said one political leader.
He urged the political parties to mobilize their cadres for the purpose. The prime minister also requested donor agencies to extend support to the government´s endeavors.
According to Mainali, the PM also spoke about the government plan to introduce a special security plan and check the unnatural price hike and artificial shortage of consumer goods in the market.
No representative from the main opposition party Unified CPN (Maoist) and the Upendra Yadav-led Madhesi People´s Rights Forum was present at the meeting.
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