Providing Free Health Services to 10,000 Villagers

Chinta is an 89-year-old woman residing in the steep hills of Arupokhari, Nepal. As winter approaches, her health has been affected by the dropping temperatures. Because Chinta is very old and cannot move about, she was suffering from severe respiratory illness. She was living alone, with nobody in the house to take care of her. A neighbor informed RMF’s clinic staff about the elderly woman.

After learning of Chinta’s situation, RMF Clinical Officer Bishnu Prasad Sharma traveled to her home for a house call. There Chinta was lying outside of her house, wheezing and coughing badly. She had a fever, and her legs were swollen. She was in a poor condition. RMF’s clinician assessed her thoroughly. Chinta had a chest infection and had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for many years. She could barely stand up and walk, and only her neighbors took care of her.

RMF Clinical Officer Bishnu kept Chinta in a comfortable position and gave her warm water to drink, as she was thirsty. He then provided a medication to loosen the mucus in her respiratory system. After a while of taking the medication, she told him that she was feeling far better. Due to the warm water she drank, she was able to cough out some mucus, which also gave her some relief. Leaving Chinta with some antibiotics for the chest infection and a bronchodilator plus furosemide to reduce the swelling of her legs, RMF’s clinician asked the neighbor to keep informing him about Chinta’s condition. She was also advised to go to the district hospital for a check-up. RMF Clinical Officer Bishnu returned to Chinta’s house twice after that to check on her condition, and he found that she was improving.

Chinta felt as if she was sent an angel to rescue her out of her misery. She was very thankful to RMF’s clinician for his help during this difficult time.

The RMF Health Clinic has gained respect and goodwill in Gorkha, as it is the only health facility that provides continuous, high quality services to the people of Arupokhari and its neighboring villages. Health services are free of charge, while medications are provided at minimal cost. In the month of September alone, 717 patients benefitted from the clinic, and the number of patients served from January to September 2017 is 5,418.