Plans Afoot to Buy Additional Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine, Officials
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 325 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 23.6 C -4.0 C Friday, January 22, 2021 | 09-10-2077 Dipayal Jumla Plans afoot to buy additional doses of Covid-19 vaccine, officials say Government to procure four million doses within a month, but some basic preparations like making guidelines and training health workers are yet to be completed. ARJUN POUDEL KATHMANDU, JAN 21 After receiving one million doses of Covid-19 vaccine under grant assis- tance from India, the government has said it will procure additional four million doses within a month. At least two officials at the Ministry of Health told the Post that Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi has con- veyed to those within his orbit that four million doses will arrive in Nepal within a month. “Preparations are underway to POST PHOTO procure additional doses, either at India delivered a consignment of 1 million subsidised rates or under govern- vaccine doses to Kathmandu on Thursday. ment-to-government deal or through direct procurement deals with India’s lised—the government is likely to vaccine manufacturing companies,” procure more of the same vaccine. POST PHOTO: ANISH REGMI said an official requesting anonymity Covishield vaccine can be stored in The main building of Singha Durbar complex is being retrofitted to make it earthquake resistant. Once complete, the government plans to use the eastern part of the building to house the Office because the discussion is at a prelimi- temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Damaged in the 2015 earthquakes, works to repair the building, constructed in 1908 by Rana prime minister Chandra Shumsher, began in June, 2018. nary phase. Celsius. “As I understand, the current India has provided one million focus is on importing Covishield man- doses of Covishield, a Covid-19 vac- ufactured by the Serum Institute of cine produced by the Serum Institute India,” Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, coordi- of India. The vaccine was developed nator of Covid-19 Vaccine Advisory by the University of Oxford and phar- Committee, told the Post. Why KP Sharma Oli is behaving as though he is the state maceutical giant AstraZeneca. The government has decided to Officials say since Covishield is procure vaccines that have received Nepal’s preferred choice of vaccine— emergency approval and administer Ever since Oli dissolved the House of Representatives, all his statements have revolved around ‘I, me and myself’, the existing storage and transporta- them to people free of charge on the tion infrastructure used in the coun- basis of priority. as he has shown utter disregard for the checks and balances enshrined in the constitution. try to immunise children can be uti- >> Continued on page 2 BINOD GHIMIRE Observers say Oli has no knowledge KATHMANDU, JAN 21 of—or never gave two hoots about— the principle of separation of powers Louis XIV who ruled France with and the checks and balances enshrined absolutism expressed the spirit of in the constitution. Ever since dissolv- power he wielded with the phrase ing the House, he has been responding “L’État, c’est moi,” or “I am the state.” to his critics as if he were judge, jury Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who and executioner. has been prime minister for about The executive, the legislature and three years now, seems to be guided by the judiciary are the three branches roughly the same idea. of the state in a democracy and the Ever since assuming office in powers of each of the organs are February 2018, Oli has shown utter divided and balanced so as to main- disregard for the people’s fundamental tain the checks and balances. rights, the media, the system, the rule POST PHOTO There is a tendency among executive of law, the legislature and the constitu- KP Sharma Oli heads to forget that a government is tion. After dissolving the very House just an entity of the state, according to of Representatives that elected him to Maitighar. Then he brought various Meena Baidhya Malla, a former profes- the post of prime minister, Oli of late government agencies under the Prime sor at the Department of Political has been making statements which Minister’s Office in a bid to centralise Science at Tribhuvan University. revolve around “I, me and myself”. power in him. Oli tried to introduce a “Territory, population, government Some of his remarks directly insin- raft of bills aimed at curtailing civil and sovereignty constitute a state,” uate that the Supreme Court would liberties–individual freedom, freedom Malla told the Post. “The government decide—the House dissolution move is of expression and media freedom. His is just an organ of the state which being heard by the five-member contempt for the media and civil soci- works for the people and Oli was elect- Constitutional Bench—in his favour ety has never been a secret. ed as a custodian to work on behalf of and uphold his decision. After being cornered in the Nepal the people.” “No doubt Oli is so drunk on power Communist Party where his oppo- According to Malla, the constitu- that he is behaving as if he is the nents were demanding his resigna- tion has clearly ensured the principle state,” said Chadra Dev Bhatta, who tion, Oli on July 2 last year suddenly of the separation of powers and all writes political commentaries for the prorogued the House in a bid to elected representatives, including the Post’s sister paper Kantipur. “His preempt any possible no confidence prime minister, must function as pre- actions and statements show that motion against him. scribed by the law of the land. every individual in the country is Five and a half months later, Oli In principle, a government is made behind him and he can do anything.” took a drastic step of dissolving the by the people of the state. It, however, Oli’s authoritarian streaks were on House on December 20. Constitutional is put in place only by a portion of the display immediately after he became experts say the provisions in the con- population through the elected repre- the prime minister, as he tried to bar stitution do not allow Oli, as a majori- sentatives. people from holding protests at ty prime minister, to do so. >> Continued on page 2 Nepal to rely mostly on foreign aid to buy Covid-19 vaccines for its people, officials say Rs48 billion has been estimated for vaccines. Government, however, says it won’t have a resource crunch for midterm elections, which will cost it as much as Rs 20 billion. PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA gling to generate resources to procure Officials at the ministry, including KATHMANDU, JAN 21 Covid-19 vaccines for Nepali citizens Dhungana, however, refused to divulge and is lobbying with donors for funds. the exact amount of financial support The Covid-19 pandemic has hurt the “We are generating the maximum it expects to get from donors. economy and government revenue amount required for purchasing coro- On Thursday, Nepal received one has taken a hit resulting in a resource navirus vaccines from multilateral million doses of the vaccine from crunch. and bilateral donors,” said Finance India as a grant. Each person has to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has, Secretary Sishir Dhungana. receive two doses of the vaccine with- in the meantime, announced midterm Multilateral donors such as the in 21 days to protect against the coro- elections which will require addition- World Bank and the Asian navirus. al funds. But the government is strug- Development Bank will be pouring a According to the Ministry of significant chunk of the resourc- Health, the country needs Rs48 billion es required to procure the vac- for inoculating 52 percent of its popu- cines, according to Dhungana. lation of around 30 million. Of Nepal’s Bilateral aid agencies such as total population, only 72 percent will Swiss Agency for International have to be vaccinated as the existing Development, Department for vaccines have not been tested on chil- International Development of dren up to 14 years of age, and this the United Kingdom, GIZ, an segment of the population will not be aid agency of Germany, and vaccinated. Japan International Cooperation The World Health Organization’s Agency have also pledged finan- COVAX facility will provide vaccines cial support to Nepal’s bid to for 20 percent of the population free procure Covid-19 vaccines, he of cost. told the Post. >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Why KP Sharma ... Nepal to rely mostly ... >> Continued from page 1 India continues to construct So while Oli leads a government that is elected by some people, his duty is to act for the entire population. But in no way can he have the impression embankment despite objections that the entire population rallies behind him and he cannot blur the line between the government he leads and the state, say observers. One of the basic differences from local authorities between the government and state is a government is temporary, it comes The Indian authorities have been building an embankment on the Mahakali river and goes, but the state is permanent. Pushpa Raj Adhikari, a professor of that Nepali side claims to be an international border. Political Science at Tribhuvan University, said the problem started the very day when Oli was appointed REUTERS MANOJ BADU of Home Affairs but there has been no already dug a foundation to raise a prime minister, as he had taken the The government plans to soon procure additional four million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.