For the past eight months, I've been living in Karjanha,
Siraha working as the Primary Health Administrator/Community Outreach
Specialist at Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Hospital (PKMMH). This Hospital and
what it stands for is a good example of how the Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial
Trust (PKMMT), the organisation which has paid for the infrastructure and
supports the Hospital, in collaboration with the community and various
government health entities are making a difference in the lives of rural
populations. The PKMMH Vision is:
"People
living in the Hospital catchment area have the ability and understanding to
access excellent health care leading to
healthier lifestyles" with the
Mission being to Create an environment
such that people living within the Hospital catchment area use PKMMH as their
first choice for health care and are treated with excellent customer care.
In a few months PKMMH will be celebrating three years of
serving this area. The challenges have
been great, i.e. working in an area with literacy less than 50% and where most
households don't have a toilet; computers and the internet are uncommon in
schools; where people depend on their
livelihoods through the agricultural sector or the many, traditional "mom
and pop" shops; where women spend their days collecting firewood, etc.
Developing trusting relationships is what we've been working
on since this community based Hospital began.
The infrastructure is second to none but this truly is about continuing
to build positive, community relationships and reputation. We
have been trying to recruit specialists to work at PKMMH but have also had
tremendous support from our sister organisation, Grande Hospital, in bringing
their specialists to Karjanha for special clinics. This has included doctors from disciplines
such as orthopedics, pediatrics, cardiology, psychiatry, ENT, as well as
dermatologists from other institutions.
Generally these are well received by the community, but they want
specialists at PKMMH on a consistent basis.
We've been a presence in the community at Haat Bazaars, constantly
informing people about our services and specialist visits; on occasion we have
a Health Assistant/Nurse conducting free blood pressure screenings. We've also had our MGDP Michaiya Branch
in-charge, attend the local Haat Bazaar.
We are involved in free medical camps, we offer discounts to elders and
we don't turn people away from services due to poverty conditions. We work with and inform children through a
library and school dental program. We've
reached out to partners such as the Sagarmatha Choudhary Eye Hospital (SCEH) in
Lahan and will soon be conducting some pilot health clinics in local schools.
Recently through a number of community health workers we've undertaken
a community health survey in five VDCs to determine how PKMMH is impacting this
area. We've asked questions about
Hospital services, household information, health, livelihood and educational
issues to determine the state of our community.
This will help us to develop and align programs with community needs.
Having grown up and lived most of my life in the US, I experienced
and understood preventative care, went to dentists and doctors regularly, and
learned about a healthy diet. There was
never a dearth of good medical care. However,
people living in rural areas in Nepal, don't have as many choices,
transportation can be an issue, lack of funds with prevention not being very
high on the priority list.
Even with great infrastructure and cleanliness that is
clearly superior to other health institutions throughout Nepal, bringing health
awareness, excellent medical care and customer service and a caring attitude is
a challenge. A lot of this comes down to
staff and community attitudes and perceptions.
Much of this work seems to be around providing factual information and
helping people to slowly but surely see other possibilities around leading healthier
lifestyles.
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