We called the Health Ministry to find out the status of the encephalitis epidemic raging in mid and farwestern Tarai. We were told the spokesman was on an extended visit abroad. We then called the office of the Secretary of Health. He
was conferencing in Florence. Next we called Dr B.D. Chataut, Director General of Health Services. He was in New Delhi attending a WHO conference. Going around in circles, all we found out was (in the words of one employee) everyone is abroad as it is most of the time. Only Health Minister Dr Ram Baran Yadav was where he should be: in west Nepal.