GP Mentor with Phase Nepal: An intro

I am a newly qualified UK trained GP and among other things I love the mountains and I love the concept of health and wellbeing for all. Hence I was accepted as a volunteer with an incredible organisation called PHASE which is working to provide such help to poor remote Himalayan communities. Just because they were born in this far flung environment in an economically deprived country they are the victims of the unequal distribution of healthcare, education and opportunities to earn an income.

PHASE

PHASE ( Practical Help Achieving Self Empowerment) has been running approximately 9 years. It is well respected through its achievements of bringing health and wellbeing to so many.

‘It specializes in improving health, education services and livelihood opportunities for disadvantaged populations in very remote and resource poor Himalayan mountain villages in Nepal. PHASE aims to support the most vulnerable people to break the cycle of poverty; by assisting communities and local authorities to lay the groundwork for a self-sufficient future.’  

PHASE has demonstrated success – Between 2006 – 2013 we treated over 230,000 patients in 13 health centres for an average cost of £2 per person. At least one child’s life is saved every month. 294 women completed our literacy classes and we have trained 306 teachers. We have provided 647 farmers with agricultural and livestock training.

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The Mentor GP

Volunteer GP’s, often from the UK, regularly take time off to hike out to the villages to help in teaching the health workers who have little formal training in primary care itself. The government assistant health workers themselves have only 15 months training before sent out to these remote areas to do the job I would do as a UK GP (10 years of training), however in a very difficult environment with limited medicines, no lab, and a hospital a rough few days away by foot and road. With this in mind, the health workers do an impressive job with care and dedication. Because of this the communities often see them as treasured members. The role of the GP here is also to provide some moral support to the very dedicated young staff that work and live in a community often very far from their own home and comforts.

http://www.phaseworldwide.org/get-involved/Volunteer-in-Nepal/Primarycare

I am currently set out to visit a total of 5 health posts. I have been to 2 in the beautiful Ghorka area and will set out tomorrow to go to the far west Bajura to visit 3 more. Ghorka was quite developed for the rush of tourists that come through a few months a year where as the rural west has little development and very poor health indicators.