These days, there seems to be no such thing as "business as usual" in Nepal. Maybe that's always the case, but it's crazy right now! May 28 is the deadline for the government to finalize a new constitution for the country. They have been working on it since the middle of the last decade, when Nepal became a republic (democracy) instead of a monarchy. There have been numerous previous deadlines for its finalization, but they have never been met. There have been 6-month extensions, 1-year extensions, and it just seems to keep going. I was actually in Nepal for the previous deadline - Nov 28. At that time they extended it for another 6 months (which, as a side note, means that I have now been in Nepal for 6 months...to the day, today, actually), and said that if it was not completed by that time, a new government would have to be formed.
It was looking promising...sort of. One of the biggest issues had to do with getting former Maoist soldiers rehabilitated, and steps have been made in that direction. But there are SO many parties, with SO many demands, and it's getting more and more ugly as the deadline approaches. Nepal needs a miracle.
What do I mean by ugly? Well, as you've all probably gathered by now, the main method of protest in Nepal is to call a bandh, or strike. Pretty much anyone can call a bandh, and they decide how far-reaching it will be, and how strictly it will be enforced. These days there are bandhs happening everywhere, it seems. In the far west region of Nepal, the poorest, most remote part, they are currently on day 20, I believe, of a very strict one. Everything is shut down - the roads, the schools, the businesses. The situation out there is getting rather desperate for people...increasing food and fuel shortage, and just general misery, probably. Usually when a bandh is declared it is given a time frame. This one is indefinite, and there seems to be no sign of it letting up any time soon.
There have been a couple of nationwide bandhs where everything across the country is shut down, and they have been enforced quite strictly - more strictly than usual. Apparently starting tomorrow there is an indefinite nationwide bandh starting. Who knows what that means? In the Terai (the flat, southern part of Nepal that borders India), there has been one going on for quite some time. For people coming in and out of Tansen, travel through the Terai is usually necessary, though usually you can take a detour around it and go through Pokhara instead (adds an extra 4 hours to the drive). But now there's also a strict bandh in Pokhara. So we actually have some people who are sort of stranded here right now. One of our residents did manage to make it back from Pokhara to Tansen last night - but only because he travelled at night. You can imagine that nighttime travel has its own dangers, when you're driving along these narrow, winding mountain roads with no guardrail!
Our patients are affected. We have discharged some from hospital, but they can't leave because they can't get home. Or they have to stay in a "hotel" here in Tansen. Patients who are already in financial hardship because of their hospitalization...hospital bills, plus they are missing their income because they're not working...now are even more so, because they have to keep paying for lodging and food here, and still can't work.
I wasn't directly involved in any of these cases, but I'm told that yesterday 2 patients who came to the ER were dead on arrival, and another died shortly after arrival. That happens sometimes...but we all wonder if it has to do with the fact that people are waiting longer to come to the hospital because they don't know if they can safely get here. And we're concerned we may see more and more of this over the next few weeks. Yesterday in clinic we didn't know what to tell people about when to come back for follow up or test results. Usually pathology reports (which come from Kathmandu) are available within a month, but who knows when they will be available under these circumstances. Dr Doug, one of the other surgeons here, started telling people to come back for follow-up after the constitution was written. We all laughed at that one...will they EVER come back?
Usually ambulances and hospital vehicles can get through the bandhs okay, but I heard of an ambulance (carrying a patient in it) being vandalized somewhere down in the Terai the other day. Some friends who did manage to make it from Kathmandu to Tansen the other day (but are now stranded here for the time being - they were supposed to leave today) said that there are roadblocks (trees, rocks, stones, and lots of people) all along the way. They did let the hospital vehicle pass through them that day, but it sure took awhile to clear the block so they could even get through. I'm told the hospital vehicle didn't leave for Kathmandu today as it usually does on Wednesdays.
Here at the hospital we see the impact of all this on our patients and their families. And on people trying to get here or get out of here. But we don't (at least at this point) have any concern for our own safety, thankfully. But Nepal is suffering right now, for sure, and whether these demonstrations will accomplish anything or not remains to be seen. At this point they are accomplishing a lot of hardship and difficulty for the people of Nepal. Will they have an impact on the decision-making process? Time will tell. And what will things be like after May 28? If the constitution deadline is NOT met, what will happen? And even if it IS met, there is sure to be ongoing discontent. It may be a rocky ride for awhile.
Please pray for this nation, that God would move the mountains, and establish righteousness and justice as its foundation. Pray for protection and peace for all those who are affected by all that is going on. It all seems impossible, but we also know that God can do the impossible. So we look to Him.
It was looking promising...sort of. One of the biggest issues had to do with getting former Maoist soldiers rehabilitated, and steps have been made in that direction. But there are SO many parties, with SO many demands, and it's getting more and more ugly as the deadline approaches. Nepal needs a miracle.
What do I mean by ugly? Well, as you've all probably gathered by now, the main method of protest in Nepal is to call a bandh, or strike. Pretty much anyone can call a bandh, and they decide how far-reaching it will be, and how strictly it will be enforced. These days there are bandhs happening everywhere, it seems. In the far west region of Nepal, the poorest, most remote part, they are currently on day 20, I believe, of a very strict one. Everything is shut down - the roads, the schools, the businesses. The situation out there is getting rather desperate for people...increasing food and fuel shortage, and just general misery, probably. Usually when a bandh is declared it is given a time frame. This one is indefinite, and there seems to be no sign of it letting up any time soon.
There have been a couple of nationwide bandhs where everything across the country is shut down, and they have been enforced quite strictly - more strictly than usual. Apparently starting tomorrow there is an indefinite nationwide bandh starting. Who knows what that means? In the Terai (the flat, southern part of Nepal that borders India), there has been one going on for quite some time. For people coming in and out of Tansen, travel through the Terai is usually necessary, though usually you can take a detour around it and go through Pokhara instead (adds an extra 4 hours to the drive). But now there's also a strict bandh in Pokhara. So we actually have some people who are sort of stranded here right now. One of our residents did manage to make it back from Pokhara to Tansen last night - but only because he travelled at night. You can imagine that nighttime travel has its own dangers, when you're driving along these narrow, winding mountain roads with no guardrail!
Our patients are affected. We have discharged some from hospital, but they can't leave because they can't get home. Or they have to stay in a "hotel" here in Tansen. Patients who are already in financial hardship because of their hospitalization...hospital bills, plus they are missing their income because they're not working...now are even more so, because they have to keep paying for lodging and food here, and still can't work.
I wasn't directly involved in any of these cases, but I'm told that yesterday 2 patients who came to the ER were dead on arrival, and another died shortly after arrival. That happens sometimes...but we all wonder if it has to do with the fact that people are waiting longer to come to the hospital because they don't know if they can safely get here. And we're concerned we may see more and more of this over the next few weeks. Yesterday in clinic we didn't know what to tell people about when to come back for follow up or test results. Usually pathology reports (which come from Kathmandu) are available within a month, but who knows when they will be available under these circumstances. Dr Doug, one of the other surgeons here, started telling people to come back for follow-up after the constitution was written. We all laughed at that one...will they EVER come back?
Usually ambulances and hospital vehicles can get through the bandhs okay, but I heard of an ambulance (carrying a patient in it) being vandalized somewhere down in the Terai the other day. Some friends who did manage to make it from Kathmandu to Tansen the other day (but are now stranded here for the time being - they were supposed to leave today) said that there are roadblocks (trees, rocks, stones, and lots of people) all along the way. They did let the hospital vehicle pass through them that day, but it sure took awhile to clear the block so they could even get through. I'm told the hospital vehicle didn't leave for Kathmandu today as it usually does on Wednesdays.
Here at the hospital we see the impact of all this on our patients and their families. And on people trying to get here or get out of here. But we don't (at least at this point) have any concern for our own safety, thankfully. But Nepal is suffering right now, for sure, and whether these demonstrations will accomplish anything or not remains to be seen. At this point they are accomplishing a lot of hardship and difficulty for the people of Nepal. Will they have an impact on the decision-making process? Time will tell. And what will things be like after May 28? If the constitution deadline is NOT met, what will happen? And even if it IS met, there is sure to be ongoing discontent. It may be a rocky ride for awhile.
Please pray for this nation, that God would move the mountains, and establish righteousness and justice as its foundation. Pray for protection and peace for all those who are affected by all that is going on. It all seems impossible, but we also know that God can do the impossible. So we look to Him.
