Many of us have had the good fortune to visit Nepal, to climb, trek, tour and otherwise enjoy the wonderful adventure and recreational opportunities afforded by the varied geography and wonderful people. The country has had its fair share of political unrest and economic difficulties, but in the main, it is a land known for its beauty, opportunities, and hospitality. Like many countries in its part of the world, the medical establishment needs support and improvement, particularly in the realm of emergency medicine and pre-hospital care.
We are pleased to report that there is excellent progress being made on establishing a Ambulance Service in Okhal Dhunga, Nepal. Working groups of International Medicine Fellows and faculty members from the Division of Emergency Medicine have collaborated with a large working group in Nepal, a highly motivated young man and many others to craft a project plan that will hopefully lead to a series of approvals and sufficient funding to allow the program to get off the ground.
As stated in the working project plan, the Ambulance Service is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to the establishment of an emergency medical response system to provide high-quality medical care for sick and injured people our aims to coordinate emergency medical training, communication with area hospitals, and rapid transport and treatment for individual patients, regardless of their ability to pay. A precedent for the implementation of such a system within a developing country has recently been executed successfully in India, Nepal’s neighbor to the south. Lessons learned from this accomplishment will be used to guide the novel system of pre-hospital care in Nepal. |
