So much chanting in this house. 4 am I wake up to Sarita (mom) scrubbing floors and cleaning. Then chanting. Then cleaning. Then chanting. Then more chanting. I got up at about 6am and everyone was already up. I took a shower (cold) and attempted using the bathroom.
I will spare you details. Let's just say it's not fun. I sat outside with the girls while they did school work and I read. It was nice to see the sun coming up over the hills. It's still a bit cloudy in the valley because winter is just ending. I'm hoping that when I go to Pokhara to do my trek it will be clear. I really want to learn how to cook Nepali food, it's pretty delicious. The family I'm staying with is vegetarian. It's amazing how much
variety you can have without using meat. Grace-I will attempt to use the cook book you gave me when I get back home. There's no refrigeration in the house so every meal or snack is fresh, no left overs. I helped cut some vegetables for the morning meal today.
Today I rode two microbuses (remnants of a gutted van, jam packed, blasting music, that have some informal system of getting people where they need to be) to get to work. It took about 45 min but I made it there with no problems. Again, I blend in well until someone asks me something and I can't say anything back. The place where I'm working is called the Nepal Center for Health and Development. It's a super small clinic
with bare bones equipment and supplies. They have an analog xray machine, super old lab processing equipment, 3 small curtained rooms, and somehow an OR. The OR was locked when I got there but I can't even imagine what would be in it. This particular clinic does not charge patients to
see the doctor but does charge for tests and medications. And if the patient needed a specialist referral that doctor may charge the patient. It was interesting to learn about the medical system here. Or rather lack thereof. Doctors have a difficult time making money and finding work and when they do they are not making much more money than other professions here. Many doctors open private hospitals but have been known to
unnecessarily prescribe medications and order tests and make direct profit off of it. The medical director of the clinic and also one of the doctors I will be working with talked a lot about his vision to continue to maintain the clinic with free visits and expand with acute care also. He studied medicine abroad in Bejing (cheaper there) and came back to Nepal and is leaving the 2nd week of April to study tropical medicine in Bangkok,Thailand (Mahndiol(sp) University) for a year and plans to come back. He has no intentions of going to practice anywhere else. He seems very moved and dedicated to improving healthcare here in Nepal.
He's also a member of a UK based volunteer council in Nepal for health care. I found out that nurses and Nepal don't really have too much hands on work. For this reason I'll be working directly with the doctors in the clinic and minor surgeries. My first full day was, honestly, pretty boring. There is a huge language barrier so I can't really take any information from the patients. After every patient the doctor explains assessment and plan and some pathophys and pharm. So first day was mostly learning for me. I'm hoping that I'll get
to do more soon.
I made it back on on the microbuses ok, despite getting water thrown at me. Holi (water and color festival-where people throw water and colored powders on each other) is coming up and apparently
some people can't wait. Back home I met one of their neighbors, Sushma (19, newly wed, wants to work/study abroad, very friendly made tea and mushroom veg) She gave me a Nepali makeover. Bedtime here is like 8:30!-but usually not electricity so not much you can do anyway). And the city is too far from here for me to go wandering alone.
I will spare you details. Let's just say it's not fun. I sat outside with the girls while they did school work and I read. It was nice to see the sun coming up over the hills. It's still a bit cloudy in the valley because winter is just ending. I'm hoping that when I go to Pokhara to do my trek it will be clear. I really want to learn how to cook Nepali food, it's pretty delicious. The family I'm staying with is vegetarian. It's amazing how much
variety you can have without using meat. Grace-I will attempt to use the cook book you gave me when I get back home. There's no refrigeration in the house so every meal or snack is fresh, no left overs. I helped cut some vegetables for the morning meal today.
Today I rode two microbuses (remnants of a gutted van, jam packed, blasting music, that have some informal system of getting people where they need to be) to get to work. It took about 45 min but I made it there with no problems. Again, I blend in well until someone asks me something and I can't say anything back. The place where I'm working is called the Nepal Center for Health and Development. It's a super small clinic
with bare bones equipment and supplies. They have an analog xray machine, super old lab processing equipment, 3 small curtained rooms, and somehow an OR. The OR was locked when I got there but I can't even imagine what would be in it. This particular clinic does not charge patients to
see the doctor but does charge for tests and medications. And if the patient needed a specialist referral that doctor may charge the patient. It was interesting to learn about the medical system here. Or rather lack thereof. Doctors have a difficult time making money and finding work and when they do they are not making much more money than other professions here. Many doctors open private hospitals but have been known to
unnecessarily prescribe medications and order tests and make direct profit off of it. The medical director of the clinic and also one of the doctors I will be working with talked a lot about his vision to continue to maintain the clinic with free visits and expand with acute care also. He studied medicine abroad in Bejing (cheaper there) and came back to Nepal and is leaving the 2nd week of April to study tropical medicine in Bangkok,Thailand (Mahndiol(sp) University) for a year and plans to come back. He has no intentions of going to practice anywhere else. He seems very moved and dedicated to improving healthcare here in Nepal.
He's also a member of a UK based volunteer council in Nepal for health care. I found out that nurses and Nepal don't really have too much hands on work. For this reason I'll be working directly with the doctors in the clinic and minor surgeries. My first full day was, honestly, pretty boring. There is a huge language barrier so I can't really take any information from the patients. After every patient the doctor explains assessment and plan and some pathophys and pharm. So first day was mostly learning for me. I'm hoping that I'll get
to do more soon.
I made it back on on the microbuses ok, despite getting water thrown at me. Holi (water and color festival-where people throw water and colored powders on each other) is coming up and apparently
some people can't wait. Back home I met one of their neighbors, Sushma (19, newly wed, wants to work/study abroad, very friendly made tea and mushroom veg) She gave me a Nepali makeover. Bedtime here is like 8:30!-but usually not electricity so not much you can do anyway). And the city is too far from here for me to go wandering alone.
That stinks about the healthcare system, but surprisingly not too different from the Western world without universal healthcare. You're so good to be helping the people who need care. So what do you do on your daily commute? I'm guessing it's not like taking the CTA and zoning out to music on your headphones! Can't wait to see pics. I want to see the Nepali makeover, haha!
ReplyDeleteha, like living with my grandma, who chants all day.
ReplyDeletewhat's nepali food like? indian with lots of curries and sauces?
they do the water/paste thing in Thailand too, to celebrate the new year.
i want to see the nepali makeover too!