MMN June Mag 2026 Online - Flipbook - Page 22
which meant the many pa琀椀ents
I witnessed presen琀椀ng to OCH
with an acute stroke required urgent transfer to a higher centre
in Kathmandu. As men琀椀oned,
this necessitated an 8-hour jeep
ride or, alterna琀椀vely, a 30-minute
昀氀ight by government helicopter (an
expensive op琀椀on reserved for those
who were able to a昀昀ord this). It was
exhilara琀椀ng but equally terrifying
when we transferred (by stretcher)
an intubated pa琀椀ent with cardiomegaly who had just undergone
an emergency caesarean sec琀椀on
at 34 weeks onto a helicopter for
cardiothoracic ITU care.
Cost is sadly a big limi琀椀ng factor
in healthcare for many in Nepal.
There are currently some ongoing
governmental issues which mean
accessing health insurance is challenging. Therefore, many are le昀琀
paying an unthinkable propor琀椀on
of their salary on medical care. As
a mission hospital, OCH is able to
keep its costs low, and it also has a
social department to assist those in
昀椀nancial need. Despite this, some
a昀琀ernoons would go by with only
a handful of pa琀椀ents a琀琀ending the
outpa琀椀ent department! This, and
the extensive travelling required to
reach a hospital for a large popula琀椀on in Nepal, means disease would
o昀琀en present late. I found this par琀椀cularly notable in cases of lung
disease, which is so prevalent due to
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