Namrata Sharma
Blaming and shaming certain groups of people during a pandemic poses a threat to everyone. Nepal government has been addressing this issue with a stigma-free approach to ensure and safeguard the citizens by imposing lockdowns and other measures. However, it is important to explore how this is being addressed in areas where there are other entities who try to have control over certain communities.

In housing and multi-flat communities, the management of the housing communities is initially governed by the construction companies who build them, but later on this task is handed over to the residents. There are many shortcoming in the governance within such communities, be it during the management by the companies or later by the residents. A few facts on how patients of COVID-19 have been stigmatised in a few of these complexes have come to my notice and I wanted to share this with the wider audience.

As the pandemic was commencing, a group of concerned residents in a housing community in Ward No 2 of Nagarjun Municipality got together to plan out how they would work with the municipality in curbing the pandemic in their area and invited the office-bearers of the municipality’s ward. This was not liked by the Society Committee Members of the housing complex and they brought out a statement with names of the office-bearers of the municipality who had visited their complex mentioning that they were COVID-19 infected and those who had come in close contact with them needed to be aware.

Atrocious behaviour
This was firstly a wrong accusation. Secondly, even if any person is infected to write their names and circulate them is unethical. The reason that the committee members of that housing took such an atrocious step was because some of their residents had invited the Municipality Ward office bearers and discussed the matter on their own initiative. Which law prevents this? Housing committee members should work for the welfare of the society and not act like autocratic rulers!

Just recently, the Society Committee members in a housing complex in Thecho/Sunakoti went to the extreme. They issued a circulation that names of any member infected in the complex should be reported to the Society Committee and also in five days all members of that household needed to get their PCR done and report to the committee. Most members gave the names of their families who were infected to the committee as requested but to their surprise within a few days they saw that the name of the infected persons, and their house locations with a map was circulated via Viber!! I was furious when I learnt this and consulted a few medical and civic experts who have been actively involved in COVID-19 response to learn their views. All of the experts I consulted were flabbergasted with this incident.

Regarding the notice for the family members of the infected person to take the PCR test in five days, Dr Nastu Sharma, a clinical tropical medicine specialist, says: “This is a wrong approach during pandemic, because the infection has already widely spread. The right approach is all members of the society should assume that they are infected and we should protect each other by wearing masks, frequently washing hands with soap and water and avoiding unnecessary mobility and social gathering.”

Actually the housing society should look for a supporting mechanism to all its residents with some counseling activities, and arrange emergency support if needed. Dr Sharma, who is also currently supporting the government in neglected tropical diseases and COVID-19 cases management and counseling COVID-19 patients living in home isolation, said that he was aghast by the information that names of infected people and their house numbers with map showing their locations were circulated. He says: “In short, this is unethical and discriminatory which will lead to stigma in the society. It should be just opposite that is not revealing but supportive of each other for moral boost up which will lead to early recovery and assurance for the community support.”

One person who was infected in that community shared that instead of a single word of support for the family, the committee members had actually stigmatised him which led to their being stressed and upset unnecessarily. This is a totally wrong behaviour by a group of individuals who have given themselves the authority to decide on behalf of more than 190 households. If all community members had been invited to decide collectively how to proceed during the pandemic, it would have been their joint decision, but in this particular society most of the time a certain group of residents who have been there since the beginning take autocratic and discriminatory decisions which have created mistrust among the residents.

Intimidation
If any member opposes this group of people they label them as spies of the company that built the complex! This feudal and undemocratic practice has led to cronyism and biased behaviour which has led towards the stigmatisation of COVID- infected residents who need the most support. Stigmatisation has a long term effect on people leading to unnecessary anxiety. It can make people feel isolated and abandoned leading towards depression. Not all people are vocal and can fight back against the injustice they face.
Many residents are intimidated by the Society Committee office-bearers and their sycophants, and do not raise their voice. Researches from past pandemics have shown that stigma undermines the efforts to test for and treat diseases. People get worried for being shunned so will be less likely to get tested and take medical help. This actually increases the risk for them and others. Thus stigmatisation anywhere must be revealed and stopped.

source: Namrata Sharma, Rising Nepal, 26 May 2021
(Namrata Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights activist. namrata1964@yahoo.comTwitter handle: NamrataSharmaP)