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The government has issued a directive to the consumers and stakeholders against using 103 types of antibiotics.

Director General of the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) Narayan Prasad Dhakal said the directive has been issued to minimize, prevent and control use of antibiotic drugs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also not recommended the use of these drugs. Dhakal said there is no rationality for using these antibiotics. "The WHO has published a list of 103 types of antibiotics which should not be used. We will neither register these drugs nor give permission for using them," he added.

According to him, however, 13 types among the 103 antibiotic drugs have been registered.

The DDA said it has prepared a national plan of action to reduce the rate of illness, death rate and the economic consequences resulting from resistance to antibiotics, which is in synchrony with the global action plan on antibiotic resistance. The plan is said to be in the final stages of approval.

Dhakal, the DDA Director General, said directives have been issued to the concerned agencies not to register, renew the registration and import as well as use these antibiotics. This directive, he said, is issued in line with the recommendation of the Drugs Advisory Committee.

The government and the agitating Nepal Medical Association have signed a six-point agreement.

Following the agreement, doctors have withdrawn all the announced protest programs.

The Nepal Medical Association on Sunday had halted all medical services except emergency care in all the health institutions across the country in protest against the attack on two doctors of Sancho Hospital in Hetauda.

In the agreement, the government has committed to take action against those who assaulted two doctors of the Sancho Hospital.

Dr Bikash Thapa and Dr Prashant Bidari of Sancho Hospital were attacked while they were treating patients on September 13.

The kith and kin of a man, who was referred to Chitwan from Sancho Hospital for the treatment of dengue infection, attacked the doctors after he died in the course of treatment on August 10.

When you find yourself in a microbus where discriminatory and gender-biased opinions become a source of amusement and laughter and activities to exchange misogynistic thoughts become normal and commonplace, even traveling from Kirtipur to Kathmandu becomes an interminable journey. When I once traveled in a microbus from Kirtipur to Kathmandu, I became a victim of this discussion. 

In the microbus, there were two elderly passengers, four to five young people who could have been between 20 and 24 years old, and five to six mid-aged uncles and aunties. The micro was entirely occupied. For the first few minutes after I entered the microbus, the driver and the mid-aged uncle and aunties were engaged in somewhat typical Nepali conversation about life and daily chores in life. However, shortly after those few minutes had passed, when we stopped at a particular bus station and a young girl asked to hold the vehicle for a few more seconds while she collected her bags (she was seen traveling alone and had several heavy bags with her), She didn’t seek assistance from anybody around, but the driver casually and unhesitatingly made a remark about how ‘Lazy’ women are. And he claimed, “Women should constantly be active and should appear smart because they are born as creatures who are destined to move into other people's homes when they reach a certain age”. Additionally, not just for women, Driver had a theory about men as well: “Men can be lazy as long as they live in their own house.”

After a little pause, the driver again presented his version of events by making a sexist remark to a passenger who also happened to be his neighbor. He questioned the passenger aunty saying, “Why are you traveling in a vehicle to merely travel for 2 kilometers? Have you not got legs? Are you not terrified of your husband? It must be so much joy for you to spend every penny your husband works so hard to earn. And in defense, the aunty, who was in her mid-to-late-thirties, said that she was traveling because she lacked helping hands and was carrying a full gas cylinder. Concerningly, she responded as if she had made some sort of mistake. She also noted that she still had to pick up her child from school, but even in that circumstance, she considered explaining it to a patriarchal man who lacked common sense. 

After she exits the car, an uncle in the rear speaks out without being asked and offers his viewpoint. He said that, in comparison to the past, when women were extremely engaged in supporting their husbands’ families and committed to their husbands’ lives and jobs, they are now sluggish spenders of their husbands’ hard-earned money. As was to be expected, the driver supported the prospective opinion, and the aunties in attendance likewise applauded it while joking about how funny the uncles were. Despite the fact that I and the other youngsters present tried our hardest to correct them about many aspects throughout the discussion, the people grew increasingly stiff and condescending. 

The majority of people in Nepal, including women as well as men, think that giving women shelter and food should be sufficient for them. They believe that women should be subservient to men and that they should fear men. To demonstrate their masculinity to society, men in Nepal always try to show that they are the ones who support women and that women should owe them their lives and freedom. But because women are constantly pressured by society to be inferior to men and because they are raised in such a brainwashing environment, they (women) never have the chance to think and act on their confidence or abilities. Lastly, women also start to develop misogynistic opinions. Do we want this, though? Why can’t we simply support someone, regardless of gender, to accomplish a certain objective that’s consistent with their capacities in life? Why shouldn’t each and every one of us be skilled and competent in what we do and the fields we are in? And in order for this to take place initially, there must be a significant shift in Nepali society’s nurturing system. This culture has to cease pressuring people into having children, getting married, and engaging in many other ancillary activities. 

There are many things in life, and now that we are living in the 21st century, the world has advanced significantly. Just a few weeks ago, a rocket from our neighboring nation traveled to the moon for research reasons, and many men and women collaborated to make that mission a success. But when we look at Nepal, we still can’t get over our prejudice and discriminatory thoughts, and the funny part is that we still want to transform Nepal into Switzerland.

Dikshya Adhikari 

Ist Year, BALLB

Kathmandu School of Law

The 'Teej' festival, also known as the 'Haritalika', is being observed by Nepali Hindu women throughout the country on Monday.

Women fast and wish for a prosperous life for their spouse on this festival which falls on the third dark day of the lunar month according to Nepali month Bhadra. Women rejoice with various delicious dishes known as 'Dar' a day before 'Teej' and fast on the next day as per the tradition.

The three-day festivity begins with 'Dar' on the second day of the fortnight in the month of Bhadra and is marked with fasting and cultural programs the next day.

Women on this day take ritual baths in the morning and offer worship while in the evening. They pay homage to Lord Shiva, light lamps and spend the night awake.

The festivity comes to an end on the fifth day of fortnight after worshiping the legendary 'Saptarishi' (seven sages).

This unique festival of Nepali women is also a celebration of sisterhood as sisters gather at their natal home and indulge in jubilant dancing and singing.

The legend has it that Parbati, the daughter of Himalayas, was on her maiden fast, wishing for the health and the wellbeing of her spouse, Lord Shiva.  Since then the same day has been recognized as the Haritalika Teej.

Married women put on bangles, ‘Pote’ (a necklace made of glass beads), ‘Tilahari’ and ‘Sindur’ (crimson powder) considered the symbols of good luck and dress themselves up in red saris or other red outfits and adorn themselves with different kinds of ornaments.

Both married and unmarried women perform various ‘pujas’ (worships) and observe fasting, praying for fulfillment of their wish for a happy and prosperous conjugal life.

The Pashupatinath Temple in the capital sees an overwhelming number of women devotees this day.