High Expenses Weak Response

Controversies over procurement of medical equipment to fight against the coronavirus pandemic has led the public to question the government’s intent. Additionally, access to testing, management of quarantines, multiple levels of relief measures are all highly inadequate and inefficient thereby failing to justify the expenditure stated by the authorities. In the second week of June, the government has disclosed that Rs 9.87 billion has been spent so far on COVID 19 response. Immediately after the government’s disclosure of expenses, mass of youth dissatisfied from the weak response from the government staged protest in front of the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar. The protest began with the hashtag Enough is Enough (#EnoughisEnough) which immediately resonated with the public and has gained mass popularity with protests now being staged across the country demanding that the government increase PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, effective contact tracing, test and isolation of infected, improve quarantine facility ensuring safety in line with WHO standards, and expand medical facilities as early as possible. More ventilators and hospital beds are required, and personal protective suit must be ensured to all those providing frontline services during the pandemic. Protestors have been urging the government to provide relief to the most vulnerable and daily wage earners who do not have access to basic sanitation and hygiene to protect them from the deadly virus. From the parliament to the streets, the government is being criticised heavily for its high expenses and weak and ineffective response. “The government’s weak response poses risk of community transmission and people could lose more lives in these concentration camp-like-quarantines where people die due to unavailability of ambulance and medicines,” said former health minister Gagan Thapa adding, “Lack of preparedness from the government despite availability of enough time for preparation has caused this pathetic situation.” Protests are further triggered as another controversial figure, a former minister of the Oli cabinet, who was sacked after the bribe deal in purchase of security printing, Gokul Prasad Baskota came to defend the government. Baskota, a figure mired in controversy, has asked those seeking detailed expenditure of the pandemic response to track the expenses of sub-national governments, provinces and palikas. Following these developments, the government unveiled expenses worth Rs 8.39 billion for COVID 19. A large chunk of the funds at Rs 3.91 billion was spent on medicine and medical equipment procurement. The government has presented the expenses as follows: Apart from this, the government has disclosed the expenses from the sub-national government. Reportedly, palikas (local government) have spent a total of Rs 2,985.1 million and provinces have spent Rs 1300 million on COVID 19 response. Province-wise expenses are as follows: (Source: Fund Operation Committee led by Vice-Chairperson of the National Planning Commission) The government has claimed that the aforementioned amounts have been spent on pandemic response to include relief for the poor, tests, quarantine management, health care facility and food distributed to the people staying at the quarantine and isolation facilities and those being treated in the hospitals. “The entire response from the top to end was managed within a very short period of time while abiding with all the legal and administrative procedures,” said Minister for Health and Population Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, “The expenses of all three-tier governments will be audited by the supreme audit institution. If anyone is found allegedly involved in corruption, there will be proper investigation from concerned authorities.”

Battling with COVID-19 on fragile ground

The government has been battling with the COVID 19 on a very fragile ground which could cause huge loss of lives and the economy. The government has enforced nationwide lockdown for 80 days, however completely failed to utilise the lockdown period for preparation to expand the capacity of hospitals, quarantines, isolation wards as well as re-opening the economy. Most importantly, the government could not provide relief (cash or kind) to daily labourers, poor and vulnerable communities. It is suspected that the there is embezzlement of public funds which the government claims was spent for the COVID 19 response in two and a half months of the current crisis. “Government could have taken help from experts and professionals to cope with the pandemic which is a gigantic task but the authorities have taken it so lightly,” said former minister Thapa, adding “We have started our journey to fight against coronavirus without PPE which was the basic minimum.” Thapa is the parliamentarian who has tabled the ‘proposal of public importance’ in the parliament to draw attention to needful instructions to the government for preparedness to cope with the deadly virus when Nepal saw its first case in February 2020. “The government has turned a deaf ear when there was enough time to be prepared,” said Thapa, “We were aware that migrant workers from India and other countries will return losing jobs due to stringent measures taken by the various governments to stem the spread of virus.” The government has continued with RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test) kits despite WHO warnings at the inefficacy of the kits. There have been several reports of migrant workers who were allowed to go home after they tested negative on RDT and were later found infected by the virus. The lack of PCR testing capacity has created immense dilemma and vulnerability for the health system itself. Very recently, the government has expanded testing capacity to 7,000 each day. According to minister Dhakal, the government will expand the PCR testing capacity to 10,000. The government has also withdrawn its decision to allow asymptomatic individuals to go home without test after completing 14-day long quarantine period after the government faced mounting criticism from the public.

Controversies in procurement

Essential medical equipment procurement of the government landed into a series of controversy as the government selected a firm named Omni Business Corporate International. The government had handed over the contract of procuring medical equipment worth Rs 1.25 billion to Omni immediately after the enforcement of nationwide lockdown. The firm had no prior experience of supplying medical equipment and was reportedly handpicked by the High Level Covid19 Prevention, Diagnose and Treatment Committee led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ishwar Pokharel. The first consignment of the medical equipment brought from China through chartered flight arrived in Kathmandu on March 29. The equipment was sent to the provinces immediately, however it was found to be substandard and incomplete. The price of the products was high when compared to the market rate. Following a public outrage, the government scrapped the contract with Omni on April 7 which has reportedly supplied equipment worth Rs 280 million in the first consignment, according to the Department of Health Services. After cancelation of the deal with Omni, the government awarded the contract to purchase specified medical equipment worth Rs 2.25 billion to the Nepal Army. Subsequently, the Department of Health Services has issued a bid notice for other interested suppliers worth Rs 402 million. Recently, another consignment of medical equipment brought by the Nepal Army arrived into the country, however, it is reported that the cost of equipment is even more expensive than what was supplied by Omni. The government has been able to collect Rs 4.83 billion from voluntary contributions of institutions and individuals, however its failure to properly manage the funds is causing great dissatisfaction among people.

Price comparison of medical equipment:

(Source: Price sheet released by the concerned suppliers) Today every tax payer of the country and every youth is demanding answers and solutions from a government that is mired in controversy and corruption charges and repeatedly fails to deliver on its citizens’ needs. Crisis leadership in any country in the world must go beyond self and party interest. Today young protestors have taken to Satyagraha fasting without food and water in an attempt to bring the government to create a transparent and accountable system to fight COVID 19, a system that will ensure that every Nepali – irrespective of their social status or background – has a fighting chance against the virus. Is that too much to ask? #EnoughIsEnough