Lifesaving healthcare for remote farming villages

We have written before of the challenges present in hiring motivated, qualified and talented staff to be posted in a remote area of Nepal. Over time we have been most fortunate in attracting terrific staff and our new Medical Officer, Dr.Thakur, is no exception. He was trained in Primary Trauma care and Basic Life support plus Basic Ultra Sound. He also has a background in Disaster Management and as an Oral Health Educator. The latter will be most helpful as we seek to set up a dental ward and hire a dentist.  In Rajbash he will be in charge of In- and Outpatient Care and Emergency Services.

At the hospital we receive many patients with medium to severe injuries: broken bones, lacerations, burns etc. Just recently I received a photo of a 53-year old woman who sustained a terrible laceration caused by the  sicle she used to harvest her field. Fortunately for her, Dr. Thakur was there to provide to treatment she needed.

As an added bonus for the patients, a volunteer Doctor from the Czech Republic will be in residence at the hospital until March 31, 2024. Her expertise is in Urgent Medicine and Emergency Care. She has been sent as part of the ongoing efforts of our sister organization in the Czech Republic, Namaste Nepal.  We are grateful for these extra qualified and caring hands of Dr. Klementond.

The small glimpses we give in our reports are, of course, just a minuscule part of everything that happens at the hospital: From the medical staff to support services, to the ambulance driver and the gardener, the security personnel, the accountants, and those who manage it all (mainly Akka’s wife Chanda), we offer you our gratitude. And to all of you, without whom our work in Rajbash would not be possible, we offer our deepest appreciation.

There are many facets to running a hospital beside patient care. We were curious to learn more about how our staff and patients in this remote rural hospital are fed.  In Nepal it is common for hospitals not to provide food for their patients. Family or friends are expected to supply patients with home cooked meals or with food ordered from sources in the community. An exception however is made for tea: black tea is provided by the hospital for free to patients as well as family members. 

Different rules also are in place for new mothers who just gave birth at the hospital. She and her caretaker are provided for free with a healthy diet appropriate for new mothers and infants, a program generously provided and paid for by a French organization, Terre Pure. As for our staff, they buy all their groceries from the village store or suppliers in Kathmandu.  A fulltime cook then prepares the food in the kitchen facilities paid for by the hospital. Volunteers and administrative staff from our Kathmandu office pay the staff for the food they eat.

Most recently, and with the support of the French Association Terre Pure, who have sent their volunteers to our hospital for years, an organic vegetable garden is being added on the hospital grounds. A green house tent has been erected and seeds have been bought, all for the purpose of growing healthy organic vegetables for anyone who eats at our hospital.  The garden will be tended by a local Rajbash gardener and everyone is waiting for the first harvest with great excitement.

 On another exciting note:  Our highly successful recent dental camps made it clear that oral health in the villages greatly suffers from lack of access to dental services. It became clear to us that we need an onsite professional that could provide the basic services a dentist might provide, i.e. regular maintenance, scaling,  restoration, fillings and extractions, x-rays, dentures, crowns, bridges etc. This position would fill a large gap in the services we provide. Too many patients are suffering until one of our occasional dental camps is held. We are currently looking to find the right person to complete our treatment team.

 Another note of progress concerns the road from Kathmandu to the hospital. For so many years the dirt road has worked reasonably well, except when it did not. The monsoons create a real challenge;  washouts make  transportation of patients slow or downright impossible. The government is now working to improve the road from Dolalghat with completion expected by 2025!

 Before we close today’s report, here is a small ‘feel good story’:  At midnight on a recent day a pregnant female patient went to her local health post because of severe labor pain. After three hours of observation without progress it was decided she would not have a ‘normal’ delivery. She was brought to Rajbash hospital in the early morning and after two additional hours of hard labor, a baby took birth. The doctors and nurses deserve special appreciation for their commitment to ensure a healthy delivery. Baby and mother were observed for 24 hours before being discharged to return home. Donating free meals to new mothers and their caretakers not only brings happiness to the recipients but also provides a sense of fulfillment and joy to the French association that funds the program. They believe acts of kindness and support have the power to create a compassionate and harmonious society where everyone’s wellbeing is valued and nurtured.

 And, as always, we are most grateful for your interest and your support. 

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