I’m starting to believe that Nepal is the worst place to be in an emergency. The earthquake from last month was a ground shaking reminder of how unprepared we are in the light of the city being in trouble, but beyond just natural disasters Nepal can’t handle emergencies of any kind.  Instead of ranting about financial or political urgencies that aren’t properly dealt with, I want to talk about a scenario that is a lot closer to home – medical emergencies.

Once while in a bumper to bumper jam (with multiple bikes squeezed in between) I thought about how horrible it would be to be sitting in the back of an ambulance with a loved one in peril. A few weeks after having this thought I actually saw an ambulance stuck in the chaos of Kathmandu and I found it terribly tragic. I can’t imagine the trauma of having someone pass away simple because the ambulance was incapable of getting to the hospital.

When someone you love needs medical attention it’s grueling as it is – you just can’t get to the hospital fast enough, but I imagine being stuck in traffic without any hope of reaching the hospital anytime soon would be pure torture.

Should a fire truck or ambulance speed down the road in the West, (and yes, I make many comparisons to here and there, but a lot of the systems there are practical and actually make sense!) all vehicles move to one side of the road leaving plenty of space for the emergency vehicle to make it to its destination in a timely manner.

But here in Nepal, though a person may be breathing their last, no one even tries to move to the side – and even if they wanted to, there is absolutely nowhere to go.  There are plenty of problems with the roads – narrow lanes, crumbling sidewalks (where sidewalks even exist), and massive potholes just to name a few – but we have no means of leaving room for those who actually need to make it from once place to another in a timely fashion.

Instead the only time vehicles are free to speed down our shitty streets is when a sawari is passing by. Blocking off the road and inconveniencing the public (usually at peak rush hour) just seems rude, but ministers who leech off of the people having access to an open road is disgusting when others are literally dying because their vehicle isn’t able to get through.

So what’s the solution? Not playing sardine. If people followed traffic guidelines there wouldn’t be three cars aligned in the space meant for two. If motorbikes weren’t in more of a rush than everyone else, the space between cars would provide some leeway for ambulances.  If everyone wasn’t so damn intent on cutting each other off but were actually able to stay in orderly lines – leaving enough space between cars – there might be the chance you could save a life.

Everyone in this city is in a rush, but if you’re going to be late for a meeting you should plan on leaving sooner. Dinner will still be at home waiting. There is no reason you should be in such a selfish rush that you’re indirectly (or maybe directly) taking someone’s life.

Saani has no real goals and aspirations but she sees opportunity in everything and goes with the flow. This is probably because she loves exploring and discovering. She writes for fun but for the same reason she also cooks, reads, and spends a lot of time on random websites that offer a chance to learn all sorts of tid-bits on life.