| 12 August 2004 | Thursday | 25 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Perks for doctors
Avoiding traffic jams
IRAN continues to be the target of a vicious and well-orchestrated hate campaign. As the American presidential election draws closer, not a day passes without some US officials or planted stories in influential newspapers warning Tehran of dire consequences if it continued with its nuclear programme.
Press reports have also spoken of IAEA inspectors finding in Tehran uranium whose enrichment by 54 degrees can be traced to A.Q. Khan's network. On Monday President George Bush vowed to keep Iran under pressure, while National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice sounded more menacing.
In admitting that an international understanding was developing on Iran, she did not rule out recourse to force. More threatening was Mr John Bolton, under secretary of state for arms control, who said the US and its allies must apply "more robust techniques".
He ruled out no option when he said America should go for "the disruption of procurement networks, sanctions and other means". The latest reports speak of a "surprise" in store for Iran in October - a month before the Americans choose between President Bush and Mr John Kerry as their next president.
There have also been periodic reports that Israel could target Iranian nuclear installations just as it did Iraq's in 1981.
The American pressure seems also designed to influence the thinking of the Paris meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. What Washington expects of the IAEA at its September 13 meeting is to recommend that the Security Council take up the Iranian nuclear issue.
This could pave the way for applying sanctions on Tehran. Unfortunately for America, the European troika - Britain, France and Germany - does not seem enthusiastic about Washington's tactics. Last October, Iran suspended uranium enrichment.
In return, it asked for European support on two points: prevailing upon the IAEA to stop its investigations and helping Iran with the acquisition of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Taking a broader view of the issue, Iran has pleaded for a nuclear-free Middle East. This is the last point Washington would agree to.
Should America resort to force against Iran, the entire Middle East will enter a new phase of anarchy and violence with repercussions that would make the violence in Iraq pale into insignificance.
It is also quite possible that, short of a full-fledged war, the hawks in the Bush administration would press for a punitive strike against Iran. The purpose would be both to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and to kowtow to the Israeli lobby in the US a month ahead of the November election.
In addition to Iran, Syria also gets regular threats from Washington and the hawks in Congress and the media. Congress has already passed a Syria Accountability Act, and, like Tehran, Damascus too is regularly accused of trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
There is no doubt, after the occupation of Iraq, that Israel thinks military action against Iran and Syria is its unfinished agenda. However, the Israelis are now wiser. In 1981, they destroyed Osirak on their own; now the situation is vastly different, for the Jewish lobby has a profound influence in American policy-making.
The Israelis thus can sit back and watch with satisfaction as Americans shed their blood for Israel's sake. In what way this would help America win Muslim hearts and minds is another story.
Perks for doctors
Inaugurating the National Health Conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain announced the formation of a commission to consider various proposals as well as a Rs300 million fund for betterment of the medical profession.
This is good news considering that there are few perks available to public sector doctors and paramedics, many of whom must also engage in private practice to earn a decent living.
Indeed, even those outside the medical profession would be relieved if the panel submits proposals that are satisfactory to all concerned, and if immediate action is taken on these.
For, the health of the people is linked not only to the skills but also to the monetary situation and living conditions of government doctors. This is especially true in the case of the bulk of the population which lives in rural areas where, as a result of the heavy urban bias in medical services, the health system is in a shambles.
Here, the poorly equipped and understaffed dispensaries, RHCs and BHUs are a depressing sight not only for the local people, who consequently turn to quacks for help, but also for doctors usually reluctant to serve in rural areas.
It is not surprising then that this scenario, coupled with the general underdevelopment and poor living conditions in these areas, has discouraged many in the medical profession from taking up posts in health outlets situated in rural areas.
Any commission charged with making recommendations to improve the health-care system in the country will have to take this aspect into account before proposing remedial measures.
It would also do well to refer to the Health Policy 2001 which, although largely unimplemented, does contain provisions for sending medical graduates after the completion of their mandatory house jobs to rural areas for a specified time period.
The same health blueprint calls for the promotion of medical officers to be made conditional on compulsory employment in the rural areas. Working on the basis of this document, it might be possible to institute a policy aimed at enlisting more medical support for the rural areas, and thus bridging the urban-rural divide in the health sector.
Avoiding traffic jams
Karachi has simply become a motorist's nightmare. Traffic snarls at busy intersections are now becoming the norm rather than a peak-hour occurrence. Part of the problem lies in randomly enforced security arrangements to facilitate the movement of diplomats and VIPs in and around the city.
While the security threat posed to the dignitaries cannot be ignored, the authorities need to come up with a traffic engineering plan that does not cause undue hardship to common commuters.
Arbitrary measures such as erecting barricades to keep traffic off some of the main arteries, including Sharae Faisal and Abdullah Haroon Road, play havoc with the traffic on city roads regardless of what time of day these are enforced.
Women, children, the elderly and the infirm suffer the most because of such arbitrary closures and diversions. The city district government's failure to enforce Section 144 banning the movement of trailers and tankers within city limits during daytime and heavy encroachments, especially in congested areas like Saddar and elsewhere, are also to blame for the current chaotic traffic situation.
Given these realities, the challenge to keep road traffic orderly in a city like Karachi is formidable. But a solution to the complex and unnerving problem cannot be found by looking away from it.
For this, relevant authorities need to have a proper plan in place whereby security breaches for the VIPs can be avoided and a smooth flow of traffic maintained for most part of the day.
The provincial authorities - the governor, the chief minister - and senior civil and military officials requiring security safeguards also need to think in terms of minimizing their movement, especially during peak hours, to avoid causing traffic jams and disruptions. The suggested measures, if taken and enforced, can surely help ease up the snarled situation on the city roads.