If you have your brothers and sisters, and you remember your younger days with them, you will perhaps know what it means by envious relationship. But, if you are a single child, then you will definitely take jealousy in a literal way. But this envious relationship among siblings is not what actually jealousy is described as. 

Then what is this envy really like? Do you remember you feeling bad when your brother got better marks than yours in terminal examination and was gifted a beautiful instrument box, or your sister got more beautiful dress for last dashain but not you because you couldn't find one of your size, or your mother scolded you for messing up your room while that of your sister, which remained dirty usually, was exceptionally clean today? 

If you read these lines again then you will realize that in each case, the mistakes are yours. You realize it today because you are grown up now, but then? Then how many times did you realize that you are the actual wrong? Then you always grunted and groaned over the situation and over others too. And when it came to your brothers and sisters, you both would raise your voice on top of others when it came to complaining about each other in front of your parents. You hurry home to tell your parents that your sister was sent out of class because she forgot one of her textbooks to school today, or your brother torn his new shirt in a fight with his friends. 

For single child, you may feel lucky that you don't need to share with others and you get everything in whole. But, you instead miss a lot of things, because when they buy a new thing, it means you also have got a new one too. Do you remember you wore your elder sister's t-shirt in your first friends gathering and felt so high? Definitely she didn't allow her dress to you at the beginning, but then you got clever and talked to her in very polite words (else you never do it!!). But she is also not that naive and made you do one of her work before letting you wear that dress. (But yes, she always gave you her dress even though she shouted at the beginning, didn't she?) You always felt high wearing her dress than wearing yours own. Don't lie to me saying that you never crept to your elder sister's dressing room and wore her make-up when she was not at home, or you were never desperate to get that sports jersey of your brother, though he has been wearing it for many years now. And can you tell me how many times in your life you committed you are not going to talk with him or her ever and landed up asking a favor from them?

If your teacher gifted you a pen for standing first in class, you don't have to wait for your parents to return back because your sister or brother will always be there to hear you. They are those wonderful friends with whom you can share even those small incidents like you were the only in your class to be able to answer your teacher's question today. I don't say that I have never hurt my sister in our relationship. I do hurt her, but its not because I hate her but because I am the only one who tells her those things about her which none of her friends say, which she doesn't want to hear, but is actually true

When you have your brothers and sisters, you grow in a better way and you become more social. It is because in a group you get into the habit of sharing as you realize you get more care when you share more. 

Even after knowing all these things, I still hide my brother's favourite music CD when he misplaces my class picnic photos; even though when I know that, he will suspect me at the first place when he does not find his CD in his table. I still do eat fast to get the remote control ahead of my sister so that I don't have to miss the game show in the TV (else if remote is in her hand I must watch music programme as per her wish!!). 

I do all this not only because I love them but also because I really do enjoy this envious relationship.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174410.php

Santa should change his image: he should get off his sleigh and walk, lose weight, eat the carrots children leave out for the reindeer and forego the sherry and mince pie, and generally stop promoting obesity, drink driving and unhealthy living, suggests a public health expert from Australia.

Grills writes that:

"Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 per cent to damage millions of lives."

We should be using his popularity to promote healthy living urges Grills, who backs up his argument with a review of literature and web-based material on the jolly fat man's potential negative impact on public health (funnily enough he found no peer-reviewed papers on this).

Grills concluded there is a high level of awareness of Santa among children: for instance he is more familiar to American schoolchildren than Ronald McDonald, an image that is heavily promoted in US and other countries to make children associate McDonald's food with happiness.

Santa's image is also used to sell, and sometimes he is depicted promoting products that cause harm, says Grills, and the impact is global.

"Like Coca-Cola, Santa has become a major export item to the developing world", he writes.

Grills also points out that:
Christmas cards often portray Santa smoking a pipe or cigar.

Santa promotes drink-driving: since he must sup gallons of brandy as he does his rounds on Christmas Eve.

Despite portraying himself as a high speed air traveller, you never see him wearing a seat belt or helmet.

As well as high speed travel, Santa could be accused of promoting other dangerous activities such as roof surfing and chimney jumping.

The jolly man spreads diseases: assuming he sneezes or coughs around 10 times a day, think of how many children may end up with swine flu after sitting on his lap making their Christmas wishes.
Grills suggests it's about time we update Santa's image and start portraying him differently: how about walking on a treadmill?

Should Santa be thinking about retiring Rudolph, Donner and Blitzen, donning a track suit and cycling his way across the skies?

Emphasis to community participation in Alma Ata declaration
Participation in health care was a key principle in the Alma-Ata Declaration. In developing countries, antenatal, delivery, and postnatal experiences for women usually take place in communities rather than health facilities. Strategies to improve maternal and child health should therefore involve the community as a complement to any facility-based component.
The fourth article of the Declaration stated that, "people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care", and the seventh article stated that primary health care "requires and promotes maximum community and individual self-reliance and participation in the planning, organization, operation and control of primary health care".

Status of women in the world
Over half a million women die each year due to complications during pregnancy and birth. In 2000, the estimated number of maternal deaths worldwide was 529,000. 95 per cent of these deaths occurred in Africa and Asia. In several countries the lifetime risk is greater than 1 in 10. For every woman who dies from obstetric complications, approximately 30 more suffer injuries, infection and disabilities. In 1999, for example, WHO estimated that over 2 million women living in developing countries remain untreated for obstetric fistula, a devastating injury of childbirth. There is no single cause of death and disability for men between the ages of 15 and 44 that is close to the magnitude of maternal death and disability.
Women living in poverty and in rural areas, and women belonging to ethnic minorities or indigenous populations, are among those particularly at risk. Globally, around 80 per cent of maternal deaths are due to obstetric complications; mainly haemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, and prolonged or obstructed labour. Almost all cases of maternal mortality are preventable. An estimated 74 per cent of maternal deaths could be averted if all women had access to the interventions for preventing or treating pregnancy and birth complications, in particular emergency obstetric care.

Community participation
Participation in general sense is the involvement of the members of a particular community in the formulation of public policy and its implementation and usage. That is, it is the involvement of the local people in the development process of the community as a whole. (green 1986 and huff and kline, 1999). Participation means in its broadest sense, to mobilize people and thus, their willingness to respond to development programs, as well as to encourage local initiatives. Community participation involves organized effort to increase control over resources and regulate institutions in given social institutions on the part of groups or movements of those hither to exclusion from such control. (Huff and Kline, 1999) Quite often it is forgotten that community participation is more than the mere contribution of money, material or labor to a developmental program by the target group. It is even more than people getting involved in the planning, monitoring and implementation of programs, or sharing the benefits of such programs.

Community mobilization
It has long been advocated that communities should come together to make lasting improvements to their health and have a right to access high quality healthcare, as recognized by the Alma Ata Declaration made at the International Conference on Primary Health Care in 1978: “The people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care”.
Local communities can be strengthened by coming together to plan, carry out, and evaluate activities to make sustained improvements to their health. This strengthening process is often referred to as community mobilization, which can make deep and lasting improvements to the health and well-being of communities. Communities can achieve improved health through increased knowledge to identify and address important healthcare needs.

Why community participation?
In Nepal, the main cause of maternal mortality is the three delays:
• Delay in seeking appropriate medical help for an obstetric emergency for reasons of cost, lack of recognition of an emergency, poor education, lack of access to information and gender inequality.
• Delay in reaching an appropriate facility for reasons of distance, infrastructure and transport.
• Delay in receiving adequate care when a facility is reached because there are shortages in staff, or because electricity, water or medical supplies are not available
Community participation is crucial because community people can work to duly cut down these delays. In rural areas, there is no proper transportation facility and a pregnant woman is manually carried off by the community people to the service center. If the community is able to help the family prepare for the delivery in advance, and take pregnant mother to the service center in time, the mortality can be reduced to a great extent. If community do not help any family to carry women to the center, it is more likely that the women will not reach the center.
In rural community, due to various reasons, women deliver in the home itself. This should be discouraged, and if it is not possible, should be conducted in the presence of skilled attendant.
Community participation can bring about various community based initiatives too. Maternal health has its relation directly with the society, and such initiatives can mean a lot to women. Pregnancy and delivery is a special situation and a family needs a lot of support. Thus community participation is always necessary, but more important to crucial stage like pregnancy and delivery to strengthen maternal health.

How community participation?
The community participation has helped to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, especially in the rural community of Nepal, and across the globe. Certain things that have been brought about by community participation are as follows:
• Women’s Groups
The concept of women group has been very effective in addressing maternal health. It supports the group to identify and prioritize problems during pregnancy, childbirth and the newborn period, and to develop and evaluate strategies to overcome these problems. The initial meetings facilitate discussions on why mothers and newborns die in the community, and introduce the concept of ‘learning together’ to encourage the women to discuss problems within the group but also with their neighbors and friends. After each meeting, women return to their community to present their work at a community meeting stimulating wider health discussions. Therefore the impact of a women’s group is not just confined to group members but on the health of the community as a whole.

• Community Emergency funds
Women in rural areas often give birth at home with assistance from family members or a local traditional birth attendant (TBA). When these women face complications during their pregnancy, they often cannot afford transport to a healthcare professional. The community groups have therefore developed an emergency fund in Bangladesh, Nepal and Malawi, which can be used by any member in an emergency.

• Improved healthcare facilities
When women can access healthcare facilities they often lack privacy and comfortable furniture. In response, community people can contact a local forester and order resources to make new furniture and gathered material to make curtains. In this situation women are building links between the health service staff and user.

• Flags in pregnant homes
In many rural communities, people have placed a specific flag in home where pregnant women are living. It helps the community and community based health worker to identify such homes and if required, to take special care of such homes. Community people can consult those homes and ask them if they require any help.

• Stretcher
Women’s groups, in many communities, have managed to collect money to purchase a second hand stretcher for the village to ensure pregnant women can be moved easily to a clean and safe delivery place when they go into labor. In Nepal, where many villages are remote, half the women’s groups ran stretcher schemes. This had an additional benefit for the community because 90 per cent of the time the stretchers were used for other sick people not just mothers in labor.

• Clean home delivery kits
The World Health Organization advocates the use of clean home delivery kits as an effective way of reducing maternal and newborn infections. In Nepal and other developing countries, several examples are seen where the community people with support of the women’s groups developed their own delivery kits comprised of a blade, a bar of soap, three cord ties, a plastic coin for cord cutting, a plastic sheet, and a set of pictorial instructions. The groups then decided on the price and best selling location, and all profits went into the emergency fund.

• White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA)
Mali, Futures Group works with religious leaders and uses a “Grandmother Strategy” to encourage pregnant women to get their prenatal visits and for couples to discuss pregnancy openly, plan together for delivery, and use bednets.

• Other initiatives
A community based healthcare organization in Nepal had a short film about maternal and newborn care, but poor communities could not watch it due to a lack of electricity in their homes. Women community group approached those households which were fortunate enough to have electricity and a television, to show the video to members of the community. The women sang health promotion songs from the video at annual women’s festivals and played the songs on local buses.

The role of community can be especially crucial in:
 Increasing socio-cultural acceptance
Certain aspects of motherhood especially the taboos and social stigma have their origin in the society or community. Community can be a crucial matter in changing the attitude of the people on any matter. A women will always feel comfortable to attend a female doctor in her pregnancy, would like to attend a privacy maintained service center etc. These can be made accepted only by changing the attitude of the community. Maternal health is determined by the care a mother receives before and during pregnancy. A well empowered educated family always seeks proper care of the mother. Social discrimination and violence of the women, early marriage, and early age at first birth would contribute to unhealthy mother and child. These are all society and community related taboos.

 Men Involvement
Men are equally liable to a healthy child as is a woman. Male involvement in maternal health has shown to be a great relief to the health status if the mother and child. If a society is male dominating and the culture is such that men are not involved in these aspects, the health cannot be assured.
In Nepal too, until last year, men were not allowed to be present in the delivery ward because of social stigma. But these days, it has started becoming socially acceptable and thus the male involvement is increasing. Post natal care allowance to male is also a social initiative to improve maternal health.
Male involvement is now accepted in the society in urban areas. But in rural community, still, male involvement is not accepted and one involving is terms wife discriminated. However, a society can change the attitude and increase male involvement for maternal health.

Nepali government on Friday said that legalization of abortion helped Nepal reduce the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) immensely and that a six-month pilot project, which ran this year to implement Medical Abortion (MA) has shown signs that it will help decrease the rate further.

Abortion was legalized in Nepal in March, 2002. The immediate effect was reduction of MMR from 539 per 100,000 live births in 1996 to 289 in 2006. Nepal aims to bring down MMR to 134 by 2015, local newspaper The Kathmandu Post reported on Saturday.

Background

The waste produced in the course of health-care activities carries a higher potential for infection and injury. Therefore, it is essential to have safe and reliable method for its handling; else waste may have serious public health consequences and a significant impact on environment. Appropriate management of health-care waste is thus a crucial component. The management of hospital waste poses to be a major problem in most of the countries, and in recent years, medical waste disposal has posed even more difficulties with the appearance of disposable needles, syringes, and other similar items. Around 250,000 tonnes of medical waste is annually produced from all sorts of health care facilities in the country. This type of waste has contaminating affect on the environment. According to a report, 15 tonnes of waste is produced daily in Punjab. The rate of generation is 1.8 kilograms per day per bed. The province houses 250 hospitals with a total capacity of 41,000 beds.

Definition
Hospital Waste Management means the management of waste produced by hospitals using such techniques that will help to check the spread of diseases through it. According to bio medical waste (Management and handling) rules, 1998 of India, "Bio-medical waste" is any waste which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in production or testing of biological.

Types
Hospital wastes are categorised according to their weight, density and constituents. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified medical waste into different categories. These are:
1. Infectious: material-containing pathogens in sufficient concentrations or quantities that, if exposed, can cause diseases. This includes waste from surgery and autopsies on patients with infectious diseases
2. Sharps: disposable needles, syringes, saws, blades, broken glasses, nails or any other item that could cause a cut
3. Pathological: tissues, organs, body parts, human flesh, fetuses, blood and body fluids
4. Pharmaceuticals: drugs and chemicals that are returned from wards, spilled, outdated, contaminated, or are no longer required
5. Radioactive: solids, liquids and gaseous waste contaminated with radioactive substances used in diagnosis and treatment of diseases like toxic goiter
6. Others: waste from the offices, kitchens, rooms, including bed linen, utensils, paper, etc.

Hazards caused by hospital wastes
Exposure to hazardous health care waste can result in disease or injury due to one or more of the following characteristics:
1. Hazards from infectious waste and sharps:
Pathogens in infectious waste may enter the human body through a puncture, abrasion or cut in the skin, through mucous membranes by inhalation or by ingestion. There is particular concern about infection with HIV and hepatitis virus Band C, for which there is a strong evidence of transmission via health-care waste. Bacteria's resistant to antibiotics and chemical disinfectant may also contribute to the hazards created by poor managed waste. waste contains infectious agents on which flies sit and cuase diseases like diarrhea,dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis, Cholera; or malaria and yellow fever caused by mosquito; or transmission of plague and flea born fever by dogs and cats.Infectious waste can cause diseases like Hepatitis A & B, AIDS, Typhoid, Boils, etc.
2. Hazards from chemical and pharmaceutical waste:
Many of the chemicals and pharmaceuticals used in health-care establishment are toxic, genotoxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, explosive and shock-sensitive. Although present in small quantity they may cause intoxication, either by acute or chronic exposure, and injuries, including burns. Disinfectants are particularly important members of this group. They are used in large quantities and are often corrosive, reactive, chemicals may form highly toxic secondary compounds.
3. Hazards from genotoxic waste:
The hazards for health-care workers responsible for handling or disposal of genotoxic waste is due to combination of the substance toxicity itself and the extent and duration of exposure. Exposure may also occur during the preparation of or treatment with particular drug. The main pathway of exposure is inhalation of dust or aerosols, absorption through the skin , ingestion of food accidentally contaminated with cytotoxic drugs, chemicals or wastes etc.
4.Hazards from radioactive substances:
The type of disease caused by radioactive waste is determined by the types and extent of exposure. It can range from headache, dizziness and vomiting to much and more serious problems. Because it is genotoxic, it may also affect genetic material.
5. Public sensitivity:
Apart from health hazards, the general public is very sensitive to visual impact of health-care waste particularly anatomical waste.

Situation of hospital waste generation in Nepal- in a nutshell

This study clearly shows scenarios of technology and management practice - almost all health facilities were found focusing only on solid waste management mostly by method of incineration. Many different types of incineration system were installed at different point of times. 70% percent of the incinerators were found not working properly as planned due to the lack of skilled man power, spare parts, high fuel consumption, cultural and public objection and lack of management commitment.

Management of hospital waste:
There are various methods of safely disposing the hospital waste, which is chosen according to the type of waste and best convenience for the hospital.

Incineration
Incineration is a high temperature dry oxidation process, that reduces organic and comusible waste to organic incombustible matters and results in a very significant reduction of volume waste and weight. So, this process is usually selected to treat waste that cannot be recycled, reused or disposed off in a land fill site.
Incineration is the widest used technique in hospital waste management due as:
 thought to be the best method of eliminating any infectious organisms that are present in medical waste.
 has been economical for hospitals because it substantially reduces the volume to be disposed of in a landfill.
But, both of these assumptions behind medical waste incineration are no longer able to support objective scrutiny. Waste is burnt at very high temperatures, that produce emissions full of acidic gases, heavy metals, toxic organisms and dioxins. There is a lot of ash produced by an incinerator as well.

Steam Autoclaving
Steam Autoclaving is the most widely used and most efficient alternative medical-waste-treatment technology. In autoclaves, the effects of heat from saturated steam and increased pressure decontaminate medical waste by inactivating and destroying microorganisms.Most available autoclaves are designed to handle both biohazard and normal hospital wastes simultaneously. However, they cannot treat pathological animal wastes, chemotherapy wastes, and low level radioactive wastes. These wastes have to be treated separately.

Screw feed technology:
It is a non-burn, dry thermal disinfection process in which waste is shredded and heated in a rotating auger. This process is suitable for treating infectious waste and sharps, but cannot be used for pathological, cytotoxic and radioactive waste.

Chemical Treatment
In chemical treatment systems, an anti-microbial chemical, such as sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, or peracetic acid, decontaminates the medical waste. This process results to disinfection rather than sterilization. It is suitable for liquid waste such as blood, urine, stools or hospital sewage. Most chemical treatment systems, currently in use, operate at ambient temperature.

Inertization
The process of inertization involves mixing waste with cement and other substances before disposal, in order to minimize risk of toxic substances contained in the waste migrating into the surface water .A homogenous mass is formed and cubes or pallets are produced on site and then transmitted to suitable storage sites.

Land disposal
For some wastes that cannot be actually treated before disposal, they are dumped into the ground, either in land open dumps, or in sanitary land fills. But, these type of dumping sites need to be far off then the residential area so as to hinder the risk of any person or animal coming to its contact.

Microwave Radiation
In Microwave Radiation, medical waste enters the system by batch or continuous mode, where it is wetted with steam or water and heated by microwave radiation at de-contaminating temperatures.

Other Thermal Systems
Some systems use a combination of infrared radiation and forced hot-air convection to treat the waste. The waste then is compacted, preparing it for landfill. Other systems use gamma radiation to heat the waste to disinfecting temperatures. A portion of the solid residue obtained is recycled, while the remainder is disposed. Several other thermal systems currently under development use steam, oil, electricity or some form of radiation as their source of heat.

Disposal of Pathological waste
As mentioned above, Pathological waste (body parts, research animals, etc.) cannot be disposed off by autoclaving. For disposal of such waste, either Crematoria (burning of the body) or burial should be performed.

Simsar Ponds
These ponds are basically based on the concept of constructed wet land. Among the two ponds one is vertical flow bed and another horizontal flow bed to treat healthcare liquid waste except lab chemicals. The size of both beds can also vary as per site condition and quantity of liquid waste. This wastewater treatment plant can also be constructed in circular shape so that it occupies less ground area.

Compost Box
This is designed for biodegradable waste from healthcare facilities. This double-roomed compost box can be used for hospital staff quarter also. Healthcare risk waste is prohibited for this compost box.

Lab Waste Treatment Pit
This is simple, leak-proof underground pit for lab wastewater collection and treatment. After treating the liquid waste in this pit, it can be disposed off in safe area.

Compost Box
This is designed for biodegradable waste from healthcare facilities. This double-roomed compost box can be used for hospital staff quarter also. Healthcare risk waste is prohibited for this compost box.

Store for Plastics and bottles
This store is designed to transmit the message that Healthcare waste can be a valuable resource. Recycle plastic and all type of glass bottles have resale value in local market and in India. This helps to minimise the environmental impact by burning the plastic and also helps to generate income for healthcare facilities.


Reference:
1. Park K. (2005). Preventive and social medicine (18th ed.), Hospital waste management (pg.438) M/s Banarasidas Bhanot publishers
2. A Tom approach to implementation of handling and management of hospital waste in tata main hospital (2005), pg 5
3. Ministry of health, Healthcare Waste Management in Nepal, June 2003
4. Jayendra bhatta: Situation of healthcare waste management in nepal and an effort for improvement at resource poor settings

Background
1975 was first celebrated as international women year. This was believed to be envisioned due to continuous international conviction of gender equity, development and peace.
As such an international conference, Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) was ratified in 1995 during the fourth world conference on women at Beijing. Gender mainstreaming was recognized to be the key factor to implement BPfa. In Nepal, National plan of action on gender equality and women empowerment' has been formulated under the Ministry of women, children and social welfare to implement this action.

Major achievements
The major works that have been performed for the development of women through participation in BPfA:
 Work plan and justified table has been developed for each sector of concern.
 Objective, strategy, policy, activities, main responsible authorities, time table and identifying indicators are mentioned on the work plan.
 In justified table, 'objectives, activities, achievements' along with 'indicators of objectives, method of evaluation, risks and presumption have been mentioned.

How to implement the objectives effectively
Beijing conference has set 12 areas of primary concern of women so that work can be more precise yet comprehensive. On further amendment to the original conference, many of the actions have been improved as for identifying specific groups of women as the primary target:
o Older women/aging
o adolescents/young women
o refugees/asylum seekers
o indigenous women
o entrepreneurs/self employed
o migrant women
o rural women
o disabled women
o female household heads
In a situation of our country, where this conference has not been able to gain its sprint, the following suggestions and work plan may be beneficial:


A. Women and poverty
1. To increase women in participation in economic, social, political and all sectors.
2. Classify women in groups and increase their access in self employment and rural infrastructure development.
3. Conduct skill based programmes
4. Amend law as to favour women empowerment
5. To increase access, control and ownership of resource for women empowerment.
6. To eliminate all forms of violence in women.
7. Increment in access to paternal property
8. Organize budget programmes up to the grassroots level
9. Facilitated loan system for women
10. Concept of rural loan distribution system

B. Women and education and training
1. Equal opportunities for women education
2. Increase education access of special focus groups
3. Develop empowering environment in schools for women
4. Eradicate women illiteracy
5. Scholarship schemes for women
6. Investigation system for all programmes on women education
7. Leadership programmes and skilled based training for disabled and destitute women
8. Women participation in curriculum development
9. Establishment of women education fund
10. Awareness on gender discrimination free education system

C. Women and health
1. Increase access of women in essential and quality health services
2. Include women health in formal and informal education system.
3. Develop health infrastructure
4. Determining health standards of women
5. Special budget allocation for women health
6. Mobilization of I/NGOs in women health
7. Right based approach
8. Coordination and cooperation of respective authority and stakeholders
9. Prioritizing of rural health infrastructure
10. Increase women participation in health administration, planning and networking at all levels

D. Violence against women
1. Conduct awareness programmes to eliminate all forms of violence against women
2. Women education and empowerment
3. Upload special protection for victim women
4. Increase victim women access in justice
5. Mainstream women in development
6. Increase women participation and empowerment
7. Formation of women clubs in all communities
8. Rural women representative in all authorization bodies
9. Strict rules to punish gender violators
10. Empowered media and capacity to screen women violence

E. Women and armed conflict
1. Development of employment opportunities in conflict affected areas
2. Special facilitation to open industries, business and activities in such areas
3. Skill based training for self employment to affected women
4. Tailored policies for social development of affected families
5. Empowerment of dismissed women
6. Resocialisation of dismissed women
7. Increment on private investments
8. Free counseling facility for affected women

F. Women and economy
1. Equal right of women to parental property
2. Access of women to economic resources
3. Women in decision and budget allocation desks
4. Prioritization of women in loan and credit distribution
5. Empowering women to bear independent ownership in business
6. Provision of facilitated loan to rural women to conduct any income generation tasks
7. Wage determination for women
8. Appropriate training and education for women involvement in non agricultural and informal income generation
9. Inclusion of agricultural and informal income generation of women in national demography
10. Establishment of women entrepreneur network

G. Women in decision/ Policy making
1. Women participation in each central and regional work places of all political parties
2. Increment of women participation in parliament
3. Rural leadership of women
4. Increase in capacity of all authorized women
5. Conservation policy of women in administration and promotion
6. Access of women in constitutional desk
7. Women education and empowerment

H. Highest level national machinery/ Institution for the advancement of women
1. To help national institutions on women development gain independence and self containment
2. Gender concept implementation in national policies, parliament and other institutions
3. Empowerment of a separate ministry for women
4. Gender inclusion in formation of policy, law and legal framework
5. Separate national level institutions for different areas of concern of women
6. Collection of complete census and demography of women and their status
7. Develop investigation system for unpaid women
8. Work on foreign employment mapping and women in foreign employment
9. training, seminars on each institution on women empowerment
10. human right realization among women

I. Women and human rights
1. Amendment in present law and formulation of new policies as required
2. Improved structure of court
3. Coordinated work for human right awareness for women and others
4. Inclusion of policy education in all formal education levels
5. Establishment of family court
6. Free legal counseling to poor and destitute women
7. Priority to women legal case especially those related with domestic violence
8. Publicity of national and international women based conference and conventions
9. Investigation and invigilation system of legal service delivery to women
10. budget allocation for women right preservation as to for free counseling and service delivery

J. Women and media
1. Increased women participation in decision making for media policies
2. Firm investigations and evaluation system of work
3. Separate empowerment body for women in media
4. Community media centers run on women leadership
5. Publicity of women empowerment
6. Eradication all forms of gender discrimination on all levels of media
7. Access of women to all the recent developments in media
8. Telecasting of programmes that help to demotivate women’s negative character and demonstrate moral characters
9. Reservation of women in media
10. Amendment of policies that do not provide equal opportunities for women

K. Women and environment
1. Increased women participation in environment law formulation
2. Leadership of women in wise community natural resources mobilization programme
3. Prevent women from the harmful effects of chemicals and insecticides in industrial and agricultural areas
4. Incentives to women working for environment conservation
5. Scholarship and quota for women studying environment sciences
6. Gender budget in environment sector
7. Facilitation of single women in environmental programs like gover gas plant distribution
8. Capacity building of women in environment sector

L. Girl child
1. Eradicate all forms of violence in girl child
2. To amend laws to make it girl friendly
3. Make public places and schools girl friendly
4. Publicity of girl child’s right
5. Empowerment of girl child on education, health, social, economical and all other sectors
6. Free schooling and other facilities to disabled girls
7. To reestablish jhuma, deuki, kumari and such girls
8. Eradicate child labor
9. Create awareness about the harmful effects of child marriage
10. Making primary education compulsory for girls
11. Resocialisation of dismissed, trafficked and harassed children

'World Sight Day' also known as annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired, was observed in Nepal on Thursday by organising the different programmes.
source: www.nepalnews.com

Seven medical officers working at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan have resigned over security issues Wednesday, Annapurna Post daily reported.
According to Dr BP Das, director of the institute, house officers of emergency ward Dr Madhav Prasad Dev, Dr Poonam Modha, Dr Priya Darshi Adarsha, Dr Nidhi Sodhiya, Dr Abhishek Chaudhary, Dr Dilasha Katwal and Dr Nishant Mishra have tendered their resignations showing lack of security at the hospital as the reason for quitting.

Their resignation has put the hospital, which is already facing a shortage of doctors, at a difficult situation, Dr Das said. Their resignations have not been accepted yet, he added.

The doctors resigned after the trend of attacks on doctors from kins of the patients increased lately.

Dr Modha said she resigned due to security reasons as attendants of a patient attacked her during the course of treatment.

Likewise, Dr Adarsha said, she resigned as the hospital management could not provide security.

'How can we feel safe, when security personnel deployed here do nothing when we are attacked," she added.

BPKIHS doctors had called a strike about two weeks ago demanding security.
nepalnews.com

The recent budget declaration by the finance minister allocated Rs. 1 arab (around 10% of the total budget) for the health sector.

The exising programmes like the free health care services, free essential drugs and incentives to maternal services will be continued this year also.

the new points brought for ths year is that the FCHV (Female community health volunteers) are regarded as important factors for the improvement of the health condition of the people. Realising their importace, their allowance hs been increased to Rs. 3000.

The person completing four rounds of antenatal visits will be provided Rs. 800 as incentive.

Similarly the essential drugs will be supplied directly to the district level so as to maintain quality as well as to minimice the short supply or untimely supply.

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey presented Rs 285.93 billion budget for the fiscal year 2009-10 at the legislature-parliament on Monday.

Of the total expenditure, the government has proposed Rs.135.58 billion (47.42 percent) for general administration and Rs. 150 billion and 347.5 million (52.58 percent) for development related expenses.

Out of the estimated sources of financing, Rs. 161 billion 73.6 million will be borne from the current source of revenue. Out of the total foreign assistance of Rs. 78 billion 516.2 million, Rs. 56 billion 955.6 million will be borne by foreign grants and Rs.21 billion 560.06 million by foreign loans. The budget deficit has been estimated to be around Rs. 46.34 billion even after mobilising these sources.

The budget projects 5.5 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the end of the fiscal year 2009/10. The growth rate in agriculture sector is expected to be at 3.3 percent and the non-agriculture sector at 6.6 percent. Estimating that the price level will gradually improve and the government aims to reduce the inflation rate to 7 percent. The inflation rate crossed 13 in the current fiscal year.

The government has allocated Rs 46.5 billion to education sector and Rs 18.67 billion to health sector for the fiscal year 2009/10.
Similarly, Rs 25.24 billion has been set aside for local development whereas agriculture and irrigation have received Rs 8.06 billion and Rs 7.95 billion respectively. On the other hand, transportation sector (both road and air) has received 19.75 billion.

Likewise, Rs 15.3 billion has been earmarked for defense while Rs 14.55 billion has been allocated for the police forces.

The government has earmarked Rs. 2.11 billion for post-conflict development and reconstruction. Under this programme, construction of 260 kilometers of road and construction of 40 bridges will be started; 96 suspension bridges and 104 small infrastructures will be constructed; and 80 drinking water projects will be completed.

Likewise, Rs. 1.3 billion will be spent for relief, land development and rehabilitation of the victims of the floods in Koshi and Far and Middle West; and for immediate relief and protection programmes to operate immediately after natural disasters.

According to the Finance Minister, the government will give priority to the implementation of the agreements with various groups including the Madhesis and Janajatis.

He stated that poverty alleviation programme currently operational targeting at the socially and economically backward community and households below poverty line would be expanded to all the districts. Rs. 2.72 billion has been allocated for this programme.

Similarly, the budget aims at promoting private sector investment and make the market competitive. A high-level Investment Board headed by the Prime Minister would be formed to attract national and foreign private investment on major infrastructure projects.

The Finance Minister said the government would not make it mandatory to reveal income source for manufacturing industries using more than 50 percent indigenous raw materials, employing more than 300 national workers or those of national importance such as hydro electricity projects, international airports, tunnel ways, road ways or railways until mid April, 2019. Likewise, excise duty on items produced by using more than 90 percent domestic scraps has been waived.

In the budget, arrangement has been made for compulsory collection of VAT on the construction of buildings, apartments or shopping complexes for commercial purposes exceeding the value of Rs. 5 million. The local development tax has been annulled.

Likewise, income tax ceiling for individuals has been raised to Rs. 160,000 from Rs. 115,000 and Rs. 200000 for married couples from the current Rs. 140,000.

Capital gain tax is has been reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent while eighty percent duty on milk tanker has been exempted while the prevailing customs duty has been reduced to 30 percent from 40 percent.

Rs. 7.83 billion has been earmarked as the grant to Village Development Committees on the basis of their respective population, cost and geographical area.

Rs 2.11 billion has been earmarked for the construction of 6.5 kilometer of main works out of 26.50 kilometer tunnel construction under Melamchi Drinking Water Project being implemented to provide easy access to the supply of drinking water in Kathmandu Valley.

In order to facilitate electricity generation, the government has given continuity to the arrangements of waivers of license for up to 3 MW and waivers of detailed environment impact assessment for up to 50 MW. Similarly, waivers on environment impact license will be provided for the construction of extension lines under the action plan of National Energy Crisis Mitigation. Similarly, no environment impact assessment will be required for the construction of extension line that occupies less than 5 hector of forest area. A total of Rs. 1 billion 570 million has been earmarked for community and rural electrification programme.

Self Employment Scheme introduced by the previous Maoist-led government has been given continuity by the new government. Unemployed youths undertaking activities in commercial agriculture, agro-industries or service sectors, will be provided with non-collateral loan up to Rs. 200,000 from the banks.

The Finance Minister also proposed to distribute bio-metric smart card to all Nepali citizens as a national identity card, which can also be used for election purpose. This card will be arranged for drawing social security allowances, including elderly allowance, from any bank. A separate entity will be created at central level for managing implementation of this system, registering and archiving the records of personal events, and for execution of social security programmes. nepalnews.com

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey presented Rs 285.93 billion budget for the fiscal year 2009-10 at the legislature-parliament on Monday.

Of the total expenditure, the government has proposed Rs.135.58 billion (47.42 percent) for general administration and Rs. 150 billion and 347.5 million (52.58 percent) for development related expenses.

Out of the estimated sources of financing, Rs. 161 billion 73.6 million will be borne from the current source of revenue. Out of the total foreign assistance of Rs. 78 billion 516.2 million, Rs. 56 billion 955.6 million will be borne by foreign grants and Rs.21 billion 560.06 million by foreign loans. The budget deficit has been estimated to be around Rs. 46.34 billion even after mobilising these sources.

The budget projects 5.5 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the end of the fiscal year 2009/10. The growth rate in agriculture sector is expected to be at 3.3 percent and the non-agriculture sector at 6.6 percent. Estimating that the price level will gradually improve and the government aims to reduce the inflation rate to 7 percent. The inflation rate crossed 13 in the current fiscal year.

The government has allocated Rs 46.5 billion to education sector and Rs 18.67 billion to health sector for the fiscal year 2009/10.
Similarly, Rs 25.24 billion has been set aside for local development whereas agriculture and irrigation have received Rs 8.06 billion and Rs 7.95 billion respectively. On the other hand, transportation sector (both road and air) has received 19.75 billion.

Likewise, Rs 15.3 billion has been earmarked for defense while Rs 14.55 billion has been allocated for the police forces.

The government has earmarked Rs. 2.11 billion for post-conflict development and reconstruction. Under this programme, construction of 260 kilometers of road and construction of 40 bridges will be started; 96 suspension bridges and 104 small infrastructures will be constructed; and 80 drinking water projects will be completed.

Likewise, Rs. 1.3 billion will be spent for relief, land development and rehabilitation of the victims of the floods in Koshi and Far and Middle West; and for immediate relief and protection programmes to operate immediately after natural disasters.

According to the Finance Minister, the government will give priority to the implementation of the agreements with various groups including the Madhesis and Janajatis.

He stated that poverty alleviation programme currently operational targeting at the socially and economically backward community and households below poverty line would be expanded to all the districts. Rs. 2.72 billion has been allocated for this programme.

Similarly, the budget aims at promoting private sector investment and make the market competitive. A high-level Investment Board headed by the Prime Minister would be formed to attract national and foreign private investment on major infrastructure projects.

The Finance Minister said the government would not make it mandatory to reveal income source for manufacturing industries using more than 50 percent indigenous raw materials, employing more than 300 national workers or those of national importance such as hydro electricity projects, international airports, tunnel ways, road ways or railways until mid April, 2019. Likewise, excise duty on items produced by using more than 90 percent domestic scraps has been waived.

In the budget, arrangement has been made for compulsory collection of VAT on the construction of buildings, apartments or shopping complexes for commercial purposes exceeding the value of Rs. 5 million. The local development tax has been annulled.

Likewise, income tax ceiling for individuals has been raised to Rs. 160,000 from Rs. 115,000 and Rs. 200000 for married couples from the current Rs. 140,000.

Capital gain tax is has been reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent while eighty percent duty on milk tanker has been exempted while the prevailing customs duty has been reduced to 30 percent from 40 percent.

Rs. 7.83 billion has been earmarked as the grant to Village Development Committees on the basis of their respective population, cost and geographical area.

Rs 2.11 billion has been earmarked for the construction of 6.5 kilometer of main works out of 26.50 kilometer tunnel construction under Melamchi Drinking Water Project being implemented to provide easy access to the supply of drinking water in Kathmandu Valley.

In order to facilitate electricity generation, the government has given continuity to the arrangements of waivers of license for up to 3 MW and waivers of detailed environment impact assessment for up to 50 MW. Similarly, waivers on environment impact license will be provided for the construction of extension lines under the action plan of National Energy Crisis Mitigation. Similarly, no environment impact assessment will be required for the construction of extension line that occupies less than 5 hector of forest area. A total of Rs. 1 billion 570 million has been earmarked for community and rural electrification programme.

Self Employment Scheme introduced by the previous Maoist-led government has been given continuity by the new government. Unemployed youths undertaking activities in commercial agriculture, agro-industries or service sectors, will be provided with non-collateral loan up to Rs. 200,000 from the banks.

The Finance Minister also proposed to distribute bio-metric smart card to all Nepali citizens as a national identity card, which can also be used for election purpose. This card will be arranged for drawing social security allowances, including elderly allowance, from any bank. A separate entity will be created at central level for managing implementation of this system, registering and archiving the records of personal events, and for execution of social security programmes

Eight o’clock Friday night and you are having a Big Mac attack. Would you change your mind about a trip to the local drive-thru if you knew that sandwich had 540 calories, 260 of those from fat? Maybe more than you want to think about on a Friday evening, and something you may not take the effort to find out, since the information isn’t on the wrapper.

Legislation being discussed as part of health reform could make knowing what you are eating easier to determine. Presently the information is available online or if requested at fast food and chain restaurants. Some of the establishments list the nutrition in a clear and concise chart. For instance, finding the calories online on the Big Mac was no problem; it’s also easy to find that KFC’s 3-piece chicken strip item is 380 calories, 200 of those from fat. Red Lobster’s online information is a little less clear: the Ultimate Feast®, is 638 calories, but the fat is shown in grams at 4.18, requiring that the diner also know how many grams of fat are allowed in their daily calorie count for the information to be useful.

Why does all of this matter if that is what you want to eat? U.S. chain restaurants and fast food chains have been criticized for contributing to the country’s obesity epidemic. Food items that you purchase at the grocery store, and even snack items on almost all retail shelves have labels that provide nutritional information. At present, nutritional information on both fast food chains and large nationwide dining chains must be sought out by the consumer. Most of us are not going to set up our laptop to check out nutritional information before we order that Awesome Blossom® at Chili’s (2710 calories, 1827 from fat) but maybe we should.

The law requiring menu labeling could be in health reform legislation which is expected to be addressed by Congress in the next few weeks. States and some cities already have laws requiring menu labeling to help promote health and nutrition, but most would rather see federal legislation to make the rules uniform. This legislation is not just about “big brother” looking over shoulders at the dinner table, but trying to provide information for fighting obesity, which can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—all extremely expensive diseases in terms of health care costs.

“America is facing an obesity epidemic, which must be addressed at the national level,” said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who along with Democratic Senators Tom Harkin and Tom Carper, have backed menu labeling legislation.

The legislation is also backed by the National Restaurant Association, whose members include the operators of Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains; The American Diabetes Association; and the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Sue Hensley, a spokeswoman with the National Restaurant Association said, “To have all of those key players at this point as one unified front to move forward with a nutrition standard is, I think, really significant.”

Will this legislation, if passed, really help reduce obesity? Only if Americans use the information to their advantage and plan their calorie count around the food they are going to eat away from home.

Blurry vision and wrist pain are among the well-known health perils of computer use, but a study shows a rise in previously overlooked injuries due to computer equipment falling over.


Researchers found a 732-percent rise in "acute computer-related injuries" from 1994 through 2006, double the 309-percent increase in household computer ownership over the period, according to a study in the July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Young children are particularly at risk, it said.

Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database showed that over 78,000 such injuries, including large numbers of head injuries due to toppling computer monitors, were treated in US emergency rooms in the 13-year period.

Children under five had the highest injury rate, with the most common cause being tripping or falling, according to researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Older children under 10 and seniors over age 60 also had elevated injury rates.

More than nine in 10 injuries occurred in the home, the Journal reported.

"Future research on acute computer-related injuries is needed as this ubiquitous product becomes more intertwined in our everyday lives," Lara McKenzie of the hospital's Center for Injury Research and Policy said in a statement.

Monitor-related injuries surged in the first years of the study, from 11.6 percent of cases in 1994 to a peak of 37.1 percent in 2003. By 2006 the figure had dropped to 25.1 percent, as heavier cathode ray tube monitors were steadily replaced with lighter and easier-to-lift liquid crystal display monitors.

Source-AFP
ARU

There has perhaps been more misinformation written about red meat than any other food. The reason for these myths are unclear but it seems that "meat" as a category often gets lumped together in scientific reviews irrespective of the fattiness of the meat, the origin of the meat (for example, grain fed versus pasture fed) or whether it's processed.

Red meat is a rich source of protein and an excellent source of iron, the mineral most commonly lacking in diets around the world. It also supplies vitamin B12 for a healthy nervous system and zinc for immune function; vitamin B6, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

The good news for meat lovers is that red meat can play a valuable role in a healthy diet - just make sure the cuts are lean and trimmed of fat and the serving sizes are moderate.

Myth: Red meat is bad for your heart and cannot be included in heart healthy diets


Fact: It depends on the type of meat you choose. A review of 54 studies on red meat and heart disease found that lean red meat trimmed of visible fat does not raise total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels. Lean trimmed red meat is low in saturated fat and can be included in cholesterol lowering and heart healthy diets. A number of studies have shown cholesterol reductions when people include lean red meat in a low saturated fat diet. Avoid fried meats, fatty meats and meat which has fat marbled through it.

It is well recognized that plant protein (such as tofu) is associated with lower blood pressure. Recent studies have shown that animal protein in the form of lean red meat is also inversely related to lower blood pressure. A study comparing two groups of moderate hypertensive patients fed one group 250g per day of lean red meat in place of the carbohydrate-rich foods that the control group was receiving. Systolic blood pressures were lower in the group which was given meat. It is thought that certain amino acids, taurine and arginine, in the meat may have helped to lower blood pressure. The diet containing meat was also lower in sodium due to the low salt content of fresh meat.


Myth: Red meat only contains saturated fats

Fact: Fat content and type of fat in meat depends on the type of meat and the feeding protocol. However red meat provides saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Analysis on lean fat trimmed Australian red meat (which is pasture fed) has shown a ratio of saturated fatty acids (SFA) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of around 24:40:14. Part of the SFA is stearic acid which has been shown not to raise cholesterol levels.

The government has lifted an over three month-long ban on farming and transportation of poultry products in Mechi Municipality in eastern Nepal, where the first case of bird flu was detected, local media reported on Monday.

According to myrepublica.com, a cabinet meeting on Friday took the decision after two surveillance teams comprising experts and technicians found no sign of the avian influenza within the radius of 10 km of the Mechi customs office -- the flashpoint of bird flu.

The first case of bird-flu was detected on January 16 in a small non-commercial poultry farm.

"The cabinet took the decision as per our proposal to ease the ban on farming and movement of poultry in the affected area as we didn't find any case of bird flu during a 90-day surveillance," Dr.Hari Dahal, spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC) told myrepublica.com.

The Department of Livestock (DoL) had, a couple of weeks ago, recommended to the MoAC to lift the ban immediately after the completion of more than three months of surveillance in the affected area.

Prabhakar Pathak, DoL director general, said the recommendation was made after studying reports submitted by district-level and central-level surveillance teams.

The government had maintained strict restrictions on taming and transportation of fowls within a three km radius of the affected area and kept close watch on symptoms of bird flu within the radius of three to 10 km.

Pathak also said that the DoL is also preparing to make recommendations to lift the ban on poultry farming and transportation of poultry products in Sharanamati village of Jhapa, some 320 km east of Kathmandu -- where the second bird flu case was detected on February 22.

According to the existing Bird-flu Control Order 2007, the government can lift the ban on farming and transportation of poultry products in the bird-flu affected area if a 90-day surveillance finds no new case of recurrence of the disease.

Source: Xinhua