ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Tuesday, May 7

Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (May 7, 2019). ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Tuesday, May 7

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Post Report

Published at : May 7, 2019

Updated at : May 8, 2019 05:50

Kathmandu

Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (May 7, 2019).

Death of a child due to blood mismatch raises concerns over top heart centre’s safety protocols

The death of a young girl at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center, allegedly due to an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, has raised serious concerns over safety procedures at the country’s leading cardiac centre.

Five-year-old Aakriti Kumari Sah of Sisaudiya Municipality in Sarlahi district was discovered to have a double-chambered right ventricle, a rare congenital heart condition, and was admitted to the hospital on April 26. She underwent surgery on April 30 and died the same day, allegedly due to a mismatch in her blood group. Hospital officials blamed a “clerical error”.

“We have formed a four-member team to investigate and find the cause of death of the patient,” Dr Jyotindra Sharma, executive director at the hospital, told the Post. “Appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty.”

Copies of the hematology report obtained by the Post show Sah’s blood type as ‘O’ positive. However, relatives were asked to arrange for ‘A’ positive blood, according to a copy of the prescription seen by the Post.

Bhattarai, Yadav launch Samajbadi Party Nepal in bid to create an alternative force

The Naya Shakti Party-Nepal and the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal on Monday officially announced their unification to create a new political force—Samajbadi Party Nepal.

Leaders of both the parties, at a programme in the Capital, said the Samajbadi Party Nepal will strive to become a strong alternative political force in the country.

Baburam Bhattarai, who led the Naya Shakti Party-Nepal, will now head the federal council of the new party, while Upendra Yadav, who led the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal, will lead the central committee. The party’s statute, however, has given more executive power to Yadav than Bhattarai.

“We have already reached an agreement to launch our struggle for an amendment to the constitution,” said Bhattarai while addressing the unification programme. “Our struggle will be from the streets and Parliament.”

Nepal needs much work before using Chinese sea and land ports

The signing of the Protocol on Implementing Agreement on Transit and Transport between Nepal and China in Beijing last week during the state visit of President Bidya Devi Bhandari has ensured Nepal’s access to the Chinese sea and land ports.

This is largely seen as a move which will end Nepal’s complete dependency on India for third-country trade.

However, officials and experts say it is a long way to go before Nepal can start using the Chinese sea and land ports.

Rabi Shankar Sainju, a joint-secretary at the Ministry of Commerce who played a key role in finalising the text of the protocol with the Chinese side, said a lot of homework and preparation is required on the Nepali side to fully implement the protocol.

“So far, we have completed only the paperwork,” Sainju, who retired from government service recently, told the Post. “The real challenge lies on the ground.”

Metropolis’ ineffective road cleaning drive wasting taxpayers’ millions

At Rs80 per litre, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City office spends Rs6,400 per day on diesel, just to operate its five broomer machines. But efforts to clean the dusty roads are in vain because of the on-again, off-again road construction at various parts of the city. The consumption of diesel meanwhile adds to the already hazardous levels of air pollution.

“Despite all our efforts we haven’t been able to keep our roads clean,” said Environment Division chief Hari Kumar Shrestha. “The ongoing road widening and installation of pipelines by the Melamchi Water Project makes it impossible to do that.”

In the past 39 days, the Mayor’s office has already spent Rs249,600 on diesel. Additionally, an annual budget of Rs2.7 million has been set aside for human resources required to operate the broomer machines.

Unsafe abortion puts women’s lives at risk in Ilam

Although 21 health facilities including the district hospital in Ilam have been providing safe abortion services free of cost, many women are still risking their lives opting for unsafe abortion procedures in Ilam Municipality.

According to the data of the district hospital, 32 women who had underwent unsafe abortion arrived at the hospital for treatment in the first six months of the running fiscal year. Lack of awareness on safe abortion services and policies among women in the municipality has led to many opting for unsafe abortions.