MMN June Mag 2026 Online - Flipbook - Page 23
tradi琀椀onal 昀椀re cooking methods in
Nepali homes. Many pa琀椀ents are
extremely breathless at rest and
have developed heart failure as a
result. I found that doctors at OCH
are forced to adopt a broad skill set
to cope with the wide-ranging demands of rural hospital work, and
this was very impressive to see! For
example, most medical o昀케cers are
able to perform a caesarean sec琀椀on, and there is just one general
surgeon at OCH: a humble man
and strong believer, who sees most
surgical cases that walk through
the door!
There is a strong commitment to
faith and a deep sense of the holy
spirit in Okhaldhunga. Each morning at OCH begins with a short devo琀椀onal and 琀椀me of prayer. This
rou琀椀ne and consistency provides
an important moment of centring
on Jesus, thanking God for His
goodness, and praying for the day
ahead. Both this, and speaking out
short prayers before undertaking
important medical tasks are small
spiritual habits and disciplines I
observed which I want to emulate
in my own work as a future doctor.
Church
I also enjoyed integra琀椀ng into
the church community! Services
were 2 hours long and all in Nepali
so could be tricky to follow, but
always full of joy and praise. During
the week I would enjoy fellowship
group which rotated round di昀昀erent members’ homes. We would
hear a short Bible teaching and
sing Nepali worship songs (some of
which are very catchy and became
quite familiar towards the end!),
while enjoying refreshments and
ensuring dedicated 琀椀me to hear
about each other’s lives and pray
for one another.
Hospitality
As well as this, the Nepali hospitality and sense of community meant I
was frequently invited to share in a
meal at a church or hospital members’ home, so I very much felt seen
and valued. This was especially important for me as the only medical
student at OCH for the majority of
my 琀椀me in Nepal. In my 昀椀nal week
I was joined by Bethany, another
UK 昀椀nal year medical student, on
her elec琀椀ve; I was really grateful
for the company and to be able to
share some of these amazing experiences. The hospital is also surrounded by stunning mountains,
and when I wasn’t exploring and
buying fresh fruit from the local
bazaar, I spent many hours hiking
and enjoying the beau琀椀ful scenery,
o昀琀en accompanied by the expats
who likewise enjoyed spending
琀椀me in nature.
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