Healthcare & Education in the Hidden Himalayas

Dear Friends and Supporters

My apologies for this brief report as I pack and make ready to move house and home. A stressful time and I can't wait to settle down and relax a bit.

However I am able to report some exciting developments with our health (HEAL) programme. I have reported before about discussions with a local (Humla) Ngo  - Self Help Promotion Centre Nepal (SHIP-Nepal). We can report that SHIP have now taken over the management of the 5 health clinics and birthing centres under the management of local qualified staff. New staff have been appointed to ensure that each clinic is properly manned and supported with qualified staff. A very successful example has always been our Sarkegad clinic where a mixture of government and Nepal Trust staff have been employed and have demonstrated how a remote clinic can be run efficiently.

The Nepal Trust will continue to support the clinics materially and financially for a period of up to 5 years with the objective of handing over operations to the government system. This plan has the full support of the District Health Officer (DHO) and the local village Health Committees.

A month long field survey was recently carried out to work on and to inform the handing over of responsibility of HEAL to SHIP-Nepal through discussions with local Health committees and Ward committees. The field visit also carried out a detailed survey of each health post; its immediate requirements; improvements to be made and the local demographics. This new approach has revitalised the local communities who are more determined than ever to provide better management and service.

Elsewhere we continue to support the government health service with infrastructure development. We have almost completed the construction of 3 new clinics in south Humla at Maspur, Piplang and Tumcha. These replace old tumbledown buildings and will be part of the government system. For the future we will support the government system wherever there is a need.

I hope you are as encouraged as I am about this new approach to a unified health system in one of the remotest corners of the world. This together with our children and maternal health education programme is making a huge difference to the health of the local populations in this remote district.

Many thanks for your support and help and I hope you will stay with us and encourage your friends to add their support. Children and pregnant mothers die needlessly without some basic help.

Namaste.