The Ilam Clinic
In March 2004, HHC opened the Megh Bahadur Parajuli Clinic in the town of Ilam and modeled on a new approach to healthcare in Nepal.
The Ilam clinic is fundamentally a community facilty and will be turned over to the people of Ilam once it has become self-sustaining. The clinic operates on a new model for healthcare in Nepal, one premised on the fact that "free" healthcare delivered through government programs has failed the people of Nepal. HHC believes that healthcare in Nepal must be rooted in community institutions that are supported monetarily by the local population—both through fees for service and donations. HHC hopes that the Ilam clinic will serve as a model for similar projects in other parts of Nepal.
The Ilam clinic is located in eastern Nepal in a region of approximately 400 thousand people living in 48 villages. In the past, this entire population was served by only one physician at a government district hospital, and access to even basic healthcare was at best uncertain. HHC's project in Ilam has changed things completely; the Ilam clinic is a modern, well organized facility, giving the local population access to:
- 24-hour healthcare seven days a week
- Emergency care and an ambulance that together save the lives of 2-3 critically ill patients per day
- Primary patient examinations and care , including out-patient services
- A range of surgical procedures, including those requiring general anesthesia; examples include cesarean sections, appendectomies and herniotomies
- Labor and delivery care, including ultrasound
- Dental care, marking the first full-time dental service has been available in the entire region of north-eastern Nepal
- X-ray services
- Pathology services and a medical lab ; the lab can perform a wide range of common medical tests
- A bloodbank sustained through local blood donations
- A 16-patient ward, including patient monitors and a defibrillator
- A pharmacy, offering medications at the lowest prices in the region
- A canteen
The local Ilam community supports the Ilam clinic through fees for service based on the operating costs of the Ilam clinic, as well as modest donations of 100 rupees per person per year (about US$1.50). Owing to this community support, no patient is turned away from the Ilam clinic regardless of ability to pay, yet the clinic is one of the least expensive "private" healthcare facilities in Nepal.
Long-term plans include satellite health posts and a gift shop, as well as other opportunities to improve the self-sufficiency of the clinic. More fundamentally, HHC has involved the local community in the management of the Ilam clinic, and our goal is to some day turn over the facility to the people of Ilam.
HHC accepts donations of time, money and equipment for the Ilam clinic, all of which are needed to complete and sustain the Ilam clinic project. If you are a medical professional, you can volunteer at the Ilam clinic.
Support for the establishment of the Ilam clinic has been given by Gulf for Good, The S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation, The Ross Foundation, the Rotary Club and many other donors. The local people in Ilam also made significant donations of time and services in the construction of the Ilam clinic.
