A positive concept that emphasizes social, cultural and physical activities determining an individual’s function in wider society and the country as a whole is often related to a person’s health.

Undoubtedly, healthcare performance has been directly dependent on the economy which means that people’s income has remained as one of the major determinants of health, according to research.

There are ample examples of how a country has been driven to a miraculous economic success due to their effective health care system.

An effective health care system means increased health access to the common citizens which directly improves productivity, increases working ability and increases life expectancy.

Besides, it ensures the right to free basic health access as guaranteed by our constitution. According to OCED Observer, around a 10 percent increase in life expectancy creates an economic growth of around 0.3-0.4 percent a year.

Students have been protesting against the college operators for charging additional fees, billing them under unnecessary overheads and overall increasing the total cost of their degrees.

Having said all this, one needs to reflect on the country’s situation and realize the sensitivity we have shown towards health.

There are a host of issues where we can discuss the negligence shown in the health sector by the authority.

However, the issue that recently came to the fore at the Birgunj-based National Medical College is sure to bring another misfortune. Such a tendency, if ignored, will lead to unfortunate circumstances, and ultimately the country will have to bear the brunt.

Students have been protesting against the college operators for charging additional fees, billing them under unnecessary overheads and overall increasing the total cost of their degrees.

This is just an example of the medical colleges. Similar incidents can be witnessed in almost all medical colleges in the country.

Access to medical education with all these capitalistic approaches of gulping profits is next to impossible for the majority of the Nepalis. This means that medical education will only be limited to elites.

The mounting price of tuition fees outpacing even the inflation rate and the purchasing power parity of people has now compelled the dreamer and their parents to increase the debt burden.

Now to reduce all this, the government has placed a ceiling on how much a medical college can charge a student but the policy is only limited to papers. Ironically, the execution is nowhere to be sensed.

The government’s stance seems to be quite ineffective as far as action against such medical colleges is concerned about charging exorbitant fees.

It is surprising not to hear any voices of dissent against such thugs from Rahabar Ansari — a young and popular leader of Birgunj.

Reason? The backing of political parties. Consider how Bassaruddhin, the owner of National Medical College showed his goon behavior and exploited the students recently.

He seems to boast himself of being affiliated to the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) which can be taken as a serious call for leaders to realize the consequences of his wrongdoings.

NCP, which rose to power with its agenda of being a party of poor, and through a revolution to eliminate the profit-suckers should rightly identify the mafia and never should surrender its sovereignty and ideology for an individual.

A great institution that is built by the effort of millions of people should not divert its agenda or the ultimate goal for one mere individual.

It is surprising not to hear any voices of dissent against such thugs from Rahabar Ansari — a young and popular leader of Birgunj.

Why I am pointing his name has reasons. Ansari is a popular name in the hearts of all youths in Nepal.

Since the college is run in the Birgunj Metropolitan, he needs to speak up his mind. This can be an apposite agenda for a leader like Ansari to grab the opportunity to speak in favor of justice and the poor, who have high hopes from him.

The popularity of any leader is useless if it is not used in the right time and for right people. I ponder, why is it easy to be a leader of rich and not of the poor?