By Cesca Eaton | UK Operations Manager, Doctors for Nepal
Once our doctors have qualified at Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Kathmandu, they must all return to their remote districts in Nepal to work as doctors.
We have just heard from Meena who is currently working as a doctor high up in the the Karnali region in North West Nepal. Meena tells us about an emergency case she has been involved with at Mugu District Hospital. Her encounters are an example of how important it is to have fully qualified doctors working at health posts and district hospitals in the remotest areas of Nepal. Meena has to make decisions and act quickly to save lives. There is also an ongoing struggle to persuade the remote communities to seek help from the medical profession rather than relying solely on their local herbal medicines.
Here is Meena's account in her own words:
“Five days ago I went further into this remote region to a health camp in the local community, where I saw very many female patients. Mrs Yogi, 35 year old female, came with a complaint of a left breast abscess which she’d had for 2 months. On examination there was a multiple site burst of the abscess. During a 2 month period she applied herbal medicine to the breast which had not worked. After her examination, I asked her to visit our hospital - it takes two days to walk there. After 3 days of walking, she finally came to our hospital and I did an incision and drained the abcess and started intravenous medicine. Now she feels more comfortable and is improving day by day. She will soon be ready to walk back, another 3 days, to her village. If I had not visited her in the health camp, her suffering would have lasted much longer. These kind of cases are hidden in communities."
This is a perfect example of how having qualified doctors and consultants in the remote areas of Nepal really does save lives. Bringing healthcare to remote Nepal is Meena's greatest aim, and she has asked that we pass on her grateful thanks to everyone who donates to Doctors for Nepal, which has made it possible for her to qualify as a doctor, and she hopes very much to undertake post graduate study at some stage to become a much needed consultant.
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