The Urgent Care Fund helps fill a critical gap between Bridge Fund planned healthcare programs and mounting requests from Tibetans in immediate need of care. The Fund will provide financial and companion assistance to Tibetans living in remote Tibetan areas of western China so that they can access potentially live-saving medical care in an urgent and culturally affirming way. A recent case of a Tibetan nun with advanced but untreated breast cancer required $4000 in travel and medical costs.
The tragedy of a Tibetan nun with untreated breast cancer reminds us that Tibetans in remote areas face cultural, geographic and financial barriers to urgent care. Accessible clinics are likely equipped with only a stethoscope and antibiotics. The very ill referred to a county hospital find little available beyond basic care. A trip to a prefectural hospital means arduous, costly travel. Services require prepayment. Specialists are likely Chinese speaking, another barrier for many Tibetans.
Tibetans' hopes for urgent care assistance diminishes as fewer experienced NGOs have access to Tibet. Increasingly staff and Tibetan partners confront calamitous stories of illness and personal appeals beyond our immediate ability to help. We have little flexibility in funding for our already planned and vetted programs. An Urgent Care Fund to provide financial and companion assistance for the seriously needy could overcome barriers to critical care, produce better outcomes, and save lives.
The Urgent Care Fund will provide financial and companion assistance to one Tibetan in dire need of critical medical attention each month. Health education and self-care programs, including those targeting women and girls, will continue in Tibetan communities, using Fund cases as cautionary tales when appropriate, and providing new opportunities to halt the development of calamitous illnesses at an early stage. Care delivery to the most needy will increase community health and well-being.