KATHMANDU, May 12: The Supreme Court on Monday directed government authorities to immediately restart various vaccination programs for children that were postponed earlier due to the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government.
A single bench of Justice Bam Kumar Shrestha directed the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Health and Population to resume the vaccination, saying that the newborn babies may face various problems if they are not immunized.
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Citing the fundamental rights of children and the balance of convenience, the apex court directed the government to resume the vaccination programs by creating a safe environment.
The apex court was responding to a writ petition filed by a group of lawyers including advocate Santosh Kumar Bhandari. The petitioners claimed that the postponement of the various 11 types of vaccines including those against measles, Rubella, Polio, and BCG and DPT vaccines due to the lockdown has put the lives of children and their right to life in jeopardy. The petitioners had sought an apex court order to resume the vaccination programs immediately.
Advocates Bishnu Luitel, Sujan Nepal, Kritinath Sharma, Pratibha Uprety, Laxminani Thapa, Bishnu Prasad Tiwari and Parashmani Bhattarai argued on behalf of the petitioners demanding apex court intervention in the matter.
