HEALTH ASSISTANT IN NAMDO

For a long time, there was no conventional medical care in Upper Dolpo. In the event of illness or accident, the population had to accept a long march The main victims were mothers, children and the elderly population. Due to the lack of support for mothers before and after giving birth, infant and maternal mortality is very high.  

 

In collaboration with the Dolpo Tulku, One Heart World Wide and the district government, we agreed on the need for a healthcare professional in Upper Dolpo. In 2013, we were able to send the first nurse to Saldang.  

 

In the meantime, thanks to generous donations, we have even been able to send two health professionals to Upper Dolpo - one to Karang and one to Namdo. Due to the shortage of doctors in Nepal, the profession of health assistant was created specifically for this purpose and can probably be seen as a profession between a nurse and a doctor. Until now, our specialists have been nurses or health assistants.  

 

The school in Karang is now run by the Altitude Project. They have therefore also taken over responsibility for the health assistant in Karang, while School Association Lo-Manthangcontinues to finance the health assistant in Namdo.  

 

In addition to medical care for the population, the focus is on prevention (e.g. hygiene, family planning and nutrition). These prevention events are organised in conjunction with the local school in order to better reach the population.  

 

The health station, similar to a small practice in Namdo, is currently run by Tenzin Wangmo Lama. We are very grateful for the work she is doing in this remote area.