Recently I walked down a road near the south gate of Bir Hospital where people were selling tea and live chicken. I was horrified to find hospital rubbish lining one side of the street: needles, bloody bandages and medicine bottles were just dumped on the wet and muddy street. This filth can then be brought back into the hospital on people's shoes. Who in their right mind could do such a thing? What doctor who has sworn the Hippocratic oath to respect and save life could allow this to happen? Don't tell me they don't know about it. Don't tell me that they are unaware of the risk to anyone who should walk on this road-not to mention if someone is foolish enough to scavenge in this filth? In a country with so many problems, there are some problems that we can do something about.

P M Lustig,
Kathmandu