Project Outline

Introduction

Health Partnership Nepal (HPN) is the international healthcare Link between Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital (NMCTH), Kathmandu and St George’s (medical school), University of London (SGUL). On the advice of the Government of Nepal’s Department of Health Services, this Link operates under a Memorandum of Understanding between SGUL and NMCTH. NMCTH is then responsible to the Department of Health Services. In the United Kingdom, the Link has been registered with the Tropical Health and Education Trust.

HPN is founded on the 3 principles of service provision to those most in need, training, education and research and fellowship between partner institutions. Throughout 2007 and 2008, Nepali and British members of HPN have met with officials from the Nepali health service, the Government of Nepal and International and Non Governmental Organisations in order to carry out health needs assessments and establish where HPN might usefully provide service.

Resulting from these discussions and in liaison with local healthcare providers HPN proposes to carry out the following activities in 2009:

  1. Community healthcare programme in Nuwakot district.
  2. A surgical camp with training programme at Trishuli District Hospital.
  3. A surgical camp with training programme at Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital, Dhanusha District.

 

Nuwakot District and Trishuli District Hospital have been linked under prior Department of Health Services arrangements, which have previously been impractical due to security concerns. The area is sufficiently distant from Kathmandu that its healthcare staff could benefit from outside assistance but sufficiently close to NMCTH that such support is sustainable. Due to a number of factors including the difficulty in access caused by terrain and lack of transport as well as limitations in staff and services available in the district, the population has unmet health needs which HPN, in partnership with local healthcare staff, could help address. International NGOs which operate in the area provide limited service, specific to their area (e.g. eye care, dental care) and so HPN will be able to offer broader services to help local doctors meet the wider healthcare concerns.

Other Activities

Doctors:

It is intended that UK doctors visiting Nepal will have the opportunity to spend some time at NMCTH during their visits and that during this time they will share skills and knowledge through presentations to staff and medical students.

Medical students:

Visiting medical students from the UK will also have the opportunity to spend time on the wards at NMCTH and on day visits to Jhaukhel Hopsital, accompanying doctors from NMCTH.

Timetables

A timetable will be assembled giving detailed dates and timings once individual availability of doctors and surgeons from the UK and from NMCTH has been finalised. Until this is complete, planning should be based upon the time periods listed above.

Medical students’ rotations will be based upon availability of students from NMCTH and preferences with regard to future professional roles.