Healthcare & Education in the Hidden Himalayas

Dear friends and supporters.

For all of us the Covid19 virus has created all sorts of problems and made life so much more difficult. Imagine how it must be in Humla, one of the remotest corners of the world. Nationwide Nepal has an expanding infection rate and has only 12% of the population fully vaccinated. There is now a real concern that a third wave of infection will happen particularly as the build up to the main festival season of Desai and Tihar develops. 

Humla District is the remotest part of Nepal and not easily accessable except by foot or by a small plane if you can afford it. The good news is that Humla has one of the lowest Covid infection rates in the country. We believe that our childrens health education programme, Little Doctors, has contributed to wider health awareness amongst families and siblings and helped to keep the infection rate low. 

Since our last report the weather has improved, making travelling easier and allowing access to the more remote clinics. Infection rates show that about 1000 people have been infected with Covid  with only one death. 425 have received vaccination. Our 8 clinics have been very active  with other treatments and over 2800 patients have been recorded. In addition nearly 2000 have received other medical services. 

Our 8 clinics through our delivery partner SHIP is supporting the governments efforts to limit the spread of Covid by strengthening the local health system and its workers. This cooperation is invaluable and helping the local Health officer to manage under difficult circumstances and limited resources. As soon as the schools can get back to full function our Little Doctors health education programme can start again and help to establish real health awareness.

Many thanks to all of you that have supported us in the past. Without your help over the years we could not have achieved much in such a remote and difficult to access area. It is such a beautiful part of the world and deserves your help; perhaps you can spread the word amongst your friends and colleagues?

Namaste

We have to keep going.

Dear Friends and Supporters

Due to the soaring Covid-19 numbers in Kathmandu and some other major cities in the country like Nepalgunj, the government has announced a strict order of prohibitions that is very similar to a fully imposed lockdown. From several hundreds of cases a day the figure has risen to 3-4,000 daily in Kathmandu and all shops have been closed and vehicle movement is strictly forbidden.

Remarkably, and unusual for this time of the year, there has been heavy snowfall in Humla cutting off trails and flight movement in general. Humla has witnessed more and more Covid-19 cases in the last months and although one can argue the restricted movement of people due to snowfall makes it less likely for people to spread the pandemic, it also makes treatment and getting necessary supplies into Humla to deal with the pandemic and healthcare, in general, more challenging, especially as Humla, for the main part, depends on cities like Nepalgunj to fly in goods.

In the last winter months of 2020, a time when people barely travel around, about 900 people have been treated through our clinics with an additional 225 people treated in the health hub of Kermi village where one of our clinics is located.

This shows that the virus has been spreading throughout the district and although the government has started a vaccination rollout program, we must be cautious and keep working to press down the potential surges that could have a devastating effect. Especially as Nepal depends on the supply of vaccinations from nearby neighbors such as India and China there is a chronic shortage of vaccines available and it may take time to have everybody vaccinated against Covid 19. During this period the risk of getting the virus remains quite severe and all people, including health workers and development workers, must remain extra careful.

In India the situation is getting worse even more, with daily cases of over 2-300,000 in Delhi alone. Due to this the air traffic to and from India has been blocked by many countries and many Indians have been using Nepal as a ‘transit heaven’ to conduct flights to other nations. This has alarmed the Nepal government who have, in response, blocked transit travellers from India. In all it is getting worse and we hope we won’t have to face a similar situation as last year, in which the country locked down for over 10 months.

While the economy was slowly getting back on to its feet again this renewed government lock-down is having a major impact on daily wage earners in industry, trade, and tourism. Foreign employment and development works have all been stopped.

Despite all this we have continued our work with SHIP Nepal to provide healthcare in Humla through provision of staff, essential supplies and medicines for treatment of patients and assist the government in its Covid-19 prevention program.

As you may appreciate any help is welcome in order to continue this work that helps people who otherwise would have limited options to seek treatment, if not at all. We are very grateful for all your support and help in the past but Covid waits for no man and we must work harder than ever in this remote and impoverished corner of the Himalayas. Please help if you can and tell your friends about us. We need you all more than ever, as we have to keep going!

Namaste