Do a Little Thing and Make a Big Difference

Published Sep 5, 2006

1 Post

Specializes in Emergency and Critical Care.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per-capita GDP of $240 a year and very high infant and maternal mortality rates. It is just emerging from 10 years of civil war. Most people have no medical care or come very late.

I am setting up training for emergency physicians, nurses and paramedics and developing the first modern ED at my facility, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in rural Dharan. We have a 700 bed hospital and a very busy ED with minimal equipment. We have no ambulances either, but there are a few very primitive jeeps with no equipment and an untrained driver.

My plan is to station our new medics on these private vehicles with whatever equipment we can scrounge up for them. I'm also trying to get some gear for the ED. So if any of you or your friends have any usable equipment, even if it's disposable but cleanable, please send it to us. The government doesn't give us funds for this, and we serve the poor who can't pay much. If anyone wants to volunteer and help some very poor but friendly and gentle people in a beautiful tropical paradise, let me know. Thanks for your help.

Brian Cobb, MD

Professor of Emergency Medicine

B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences

Dharan, Nepal

Feel free to PM me for more info.