Health care in Nepal's Dhading district

Nepal’s earthquake victims overwhelmed hospitals after a 7.8-magnitude quake shook the country in April 2015. More than 8,000 people died, over 20,000 suffered injuries, and thousands more were left homeless by the temblor and succeeding aftershocks. The limited number of available physicians and stretched facilities meant a long wait for treatment, and many of the survivors will require long-term care for the trauma they endured. Meanwhile, a monthslong blockade of the India-Nepal border — lifted in February 2016 — has had a huge impact on the economy, as well as reduced import of medical supplies and slowed infrastructure rebuilding efforts. One year on, Devex took a look at the state of affairs on the ground in Nepal through the eyes of VSO physician volunteer Harry Lynch, whose work involves doing rounds in the temporary camps near the district hospital in Dhading. Lynch arrived in Dhading in February 2016, and one of his first found patients was Laxmi Tamang, a 2-year-old girl suffering from a severe injury to her right hand that could have left her impaired for the rest of her life if no operation was performed. Laxmi accidentally fell into a cooking stove during the onset of the earthquake. Her family barely escaped; their house collapsed minutes after they ran for their lives. Her family took her to Kathmandu to get her burns treated. But with the hospital overwhelmed, Laxmi wasn’t able to receive treatment. Lynch was doing his rounds, part of his 6-month-long assignment in Alchidada, one of the temporary camps near Dhading District Hospital where he works as volunteer under VSO’s emergency medical program, when he found Laxmi. He found her wrist stiff, and the accident had severely damaged her fingers. He deemed it best for Laxmi to undergo a minor operation to get her wrist moving again, and hopefully get the bones in her palm to function as her fingers. “Although the treatment is relatively inexpensive, the impact it could have on her life will be huge,” he said. Apart from attending to patients, Lynch is also providing neonatal life support and resuscitation training to nurses at the hospital and nearby rural areas. He also co-created a proforma, or a standard document to be filled out by doctors to make sure they don’t forget any steps when examining a patient, like looking inside the ears. Laxmi however is not the only one needing medical attention in her family, nor in her community. During his rounds, Lynch found families, Laxmi’s included, suffering from multiple conditions of skin and eye infections, like bacterial conjunctivitis. He said these are usually easily treated conditions, but in this case, a bit difficult given its spread and the unhygienic conditions families are currently living in. Almost 400 people continue to live in the camps in Dhading, with only a makeshift tent over their heads. Lynch fears the coming monsoon season could only make matters worse. “I am worried about the latrines. These toilets might be damaged or knocked over by the rains, which could spread diseases across the camp,” he said. Devex Professional Membership means access to the latest buzz, innovations, and lifestyle tips for development, health, sustainability and humanitarian professionals like you. Our mission is to do more good for more people. If you think the right information can make a difference, we invite you to join us by making a small investment in Professional Membership.