When I heard about the massive earthquake in Nepal last month, my mind flew immediately to the earthquake of 2005 in Pakistan. Back then, I had landed in Abbotabad within five days and the sights, sounds and smells that I had experienced there will stay with me for a few lifetimes. So it followed naturally that I should go to Nepal to help and assist in any way I could. I connected with Dr. Fahim Rahim of the JRM foundation from Idaho, USA , which pursues philanthropic works in various regions of the world, and before long, I was en-route to Katmandu.

Once in Katmandu, I soon found myself part of a  team which was growing quickly as local student volunteers were joining in. We had 5 doctors, 3 paramedic nurses, IT specialists and other volunteers from the USA as well. After a series of quick meetings at various high level offices, we soon realized that going the “official” route was not what we should aim for. We were there to act fast and be as effective as possible. We wanted to be at the grassroots, amongst the people and address issues at the local level. So within few hours of arriving in Katmandu, I was on a bus with our team to Dhulikhel Hospital, where we were given permission to assist and which we could also use as a base camp.

The Dhulekhel Hospital is a wonderfully run, clean community hospital nestled in the Kavrepalanchok hills. It is run by a visionary physician, Professor Dr Ram Kantha Makaju Shrestha. We pitched our tents in the front lawn and immediately started to organize our communication station, pharmacy, supplies and other vital needs. As the injured poured in, I assisted in the ICU and Dr. Fahim worked in the ER and medical wards. Our two orthopaedic doctors started operating early the next day and worked almost round the clock alongside the Nepali surgeons.

But the full scale of the damage was not clear to us till we started to go out into the community with food and shelter supplies. The Nepalese countryside  is a beautiful combination of majestic mountains and gentle valleys full of terraced farmland. The houses, a combination of wood and brick, had been laid waste. People were without food or shelter but despite their sufferring, they were peaceful and patient. We would leave the supplies with the elders of the community and it was their responsibility to fairly distribute the items. As there is no feudal system in Nepal, there was no risk of the local landlord hoarding the precious supplies.

Thus we would work in the hospital in the mornings. Meanwhile our volunteers would load our trucks with supplies which we would take to the remote villages during the afternoon. However, we soon realized that the need for assistance was even greater in areas too remote to be accessible by road. So we chartered helicopters and started to make air drops in the Sindhupalchowk area. We could have been more effective if the government had given us the chopper but there was too much politics there. Regardless, we made and continue to make very dangerous trips to the most remote rural areas on a daily basis. It was a common to see smoke signals or people flagging us down for help. We did the best we could in the circumstances. During the last part of our mission, we established two field medical and relief camps, one in Chuna Devi School Nagarkot and another in Ekta Academy Lalitpur area. Here we treated more than a thousand people.

The best story that I took away from Nepal was when we were  asked to help out with a 15 day old child, Baby Nurbu Lama, who was suffering from kidney failure . Even though we had never done dialysis on a child before, failure was not an option. So we successfully improvised a system to deliver peritoneal dialysis. Soon she was off the life support and quickly made a full recovery. Today, she is home alive and well.

The Nepali people we worked with were polite, determined, hardworking and dedicated. They cared deeply about their country and fellow Nepalis. Unfortunately, we did not see the same passion at the governmental level. If we had received the governmental help we wanted, the impact of our efforts would have been quadrupled. It was quite frustrating to say the least.

Relying on the ties we have established in Nepal, we are continuing our relief work through the local volunteers and organizations. The JRM foundation is raising $1million and is challenging President Obama to match it by 100 fold. The local communities in the USA have been very generous in their donations. Nepal needs international support to get back on its feet. There are about one million children out of schools. A vast number are homeless. Even more frightening,  human traffickers are on the prowl to profit from this disaster. But with the concerted and generous help of the international  community, Nepal can rise again.

Photos by the author 

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