KATHMANDU, March 9: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the early diagnosis and treatment of uterus and breast cancer would be taken ahead as a special program.
Arrangements would be made for providing free treatment services for breast and uterus cancer in all the seven provinces, he said while addressing a program organized on the occasion of the 113th International Women's Day on Wednesday.
PM Dahal said: "Infertility treatment services, setting up of neonatal care centers at the ward level, early diagnosis and free treatment of cancer of the uterus and breast seen in women would be expanded to all the seven provinces as a special program. The HPV mass vaccination program targeting girls between the ages of nine to 13 years would be expanded across the country for the prevention of uterus cancer."
He added that a nutrition program targeting women would be carried out to deal with anemia found in about 34 per cent of women of reproductive age.
Minister vows to make medical board accountable
Stating that the 113th International Women's Day was celebrated throughout the world on Wednesday around the slogan - 'DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality', the PM observed that the issues of women's rights are intricately related to the economic and political system in society.
"A prosperous and equitable society cannot be built unless the disparity between men and women, and all forms of exploitations and suppressions against women in society are put to an end. The narrative of valor and heroism demonstrated by women in the ‘People's War’ and the People's Movement that took place in Nepal have proved wrong the traditional notion of taking the women to be the weaker sex in the social and cultural context, constricting the women's world and that women cannot bear the social existence as men do."
The prime minister reminded that the Constitution of Nepal has become successful in establishing a proportional, inclusive and equitable state system by putting to an end all sorts of disparities, inequalities and discriminations against women.
He also reminded of the achievements as the guarantee of 33 per cent women representation in all state bodies and the provision of representation of person from different gender and community in the post of President and Vice-President and the provision requiring the compulsory representation of women either the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly and either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He added that there is 30 percent women representation in the federal and provincial parliaments and the 40 per cent representation of women in the local level either as the mayor or deputy mayor of metropolitan city, sub-metropolitan city and municipality, and the chairperson or deputy chairperson of rural municipality.
Prime Minister Dahal further said that any act of violence against and exploitation of women has been made a punishable offense and a policy of zero tolerance adopted against VAW. He presented facts regarding the various policies, legal and institutional arrangements made aiming at guaranteeing women's meaningful participation in the different mechanisms and processes at the federal, provincial and local levels as per the constitutional provision.
Stating that Nepal is moving ahead towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals in terms of the sexual and reproductive rights of women, he said access to reproductive health-related services has also increased. The PM reiterated that necessary initiatives would be taken to improve the livelihood of the conflict and violence-affected women through various programmes and providing them with relief, rescue and free legal and psycho-social counseling services.
He reiterated that special initiatives would be made to build a gender equality based society by studying the gravity of the household work done by women. Stating that the topic of women's rights is intricately related to the establishment of a socialism-oriented State along with building a prosperous and self-reliant Nepal, PM Dahal stressed that all should commit themselves towards prosperity with social justice as envisioned by the Constitution.
He also stressed on increasing women's access to information technology.
-1200x560_20230918142114.jpg)
