Mahabir Pun: Nepal Cannot Afford Multiple Forensic Labs

Kathmandu. Member of Parliament and founder of the National Innovation Center, Mahabir Pun, has stated that Nepal cannot build a large number of forensic labs due to the high investment and extreme cost involved. He expressed this view on Thursday while participating in the discussion on the 'National Forensic Science Laboratory Bill' in the meeting of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee under the House of Representatives, Federal Parliament. Responding to other MPs who highlighted the need to establish forensic labs in each province, former Education Minister and MP Pun clarified that the country's economic capacity cannot support the establishment of labs in every province due to the high cost of necessary equipment. He mentioned that forensic labs need to obtain international ISO accreditation, which requires significant resources. MP Pun suggested establishing only one state-of-the-art forensic lab in Nepal and accepting the reality that complex tests not possible here would have to be sent abroad, as was done previously. Citing the example of samples being sent to countries like Hong Kong during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic due to a lack of testing facilities in Nepal, he opined that it would be appropriate to continue sending complex forensic tests to foreign countries. Presenting his arguments in the committee meeting, MP Pun said, 'The idea of opening small, modern offices in every province with excellent technology has come up. Out of thousands of cases in Nepal, perhaps 5-10 cases of suicide or other complex nature might require forensic examination. Therefore, it is said that it should be opened in the provinces as needed, but obtaining ISO certification for such laboratories is a very expensive matter. ISO is not obtained easily; it requires the necessary equipment. These devices are so expensive that ISO cannot be obtained without them. If there is no ISO, the tests conducted here will not be recognized abroad. Therefore, instead of opening in many places, let's open just one and make it as modern as possible.' MP Pun emotionally appealed to the other MPs to understand the country's actual economic situation and capacity rather than harboring ambitions of opening many laboratories based on sentiment or impulse. He suggested that investing limited resources in a single center and making it high-quality would be practical for Nepal.