In the country of Nepal, our team is building a network to serve those with emergency medical needs. As of June 2020 (the most recent statistics available), there were 1370 Nepalese citizens that had been trained by Nepal Medics as either Rural First Responders (RFRs), or Rural Medical Responders (RMRs). Of those, 56.5% are female.
Between June 2019 and June 2020, they made 2100 emergency responses. Read some of their stories below.
Goma's Story - Update!
***UPDATE – As of Patrick and Brad’s Nepal Visit, March 2019, Goma Has Made a 100% Recovery!***
On the afternoon of January 21st, 2017, Goma was going about her normal daily routine, collecting food for her family’s livestock. She was headed back towards her home with a basket full of fodder balanced on her head. As Goma rounded a corner, looking down at the ground, balancing the large basket on her head, she didn’t see the oxen fighting directly in front of her. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. She had been smashed between the two oxen. Goma was rendered unconscious, with severe internal injuries. Her husband found her, and at first, he thought she was dead. He yelled for help, and approximately twenty-five minutes after the incident, someone heard him. That person went and got Rural Medical Responder (RMR) Shreeram. RMR Shreeram responded immediately. Once on scene, he performed a trauma medical assessment. He found Goma still had a pulse. RMR Shreeram utilized his training and performed lifesaving interventions. He then properly packaged Goma for safe transport and took her to the hospital. RMR Shreeram not only saved Goma’s life: he gave her the opportunity to meet her first grand-baby, who was born in the same hospital where Goma was recovering.
Indra’s Story
At approximately 9:00 am on the 8th of April, 2017 Shanta Gurung Maya was teaching a class at the elementary school in Benighat Rorang in a Rural Municipality as she normally does, when she was asked to respond to the emergency near by. Shanta responded immediately , upon arriving she found Indra a 70 year female who had been cooking vegetable curry on a makeshift stove. The entire steaming hot batch of curry had fallen off of the stove covering the lower half of the indra with full thickness burns. Shanta immediately referred to her Rural Medical Responder (RMR) training. Shanta called the local hospital and requested an ambulance for transport. She then started to treat the Indra for shock and to prevent infection. The ambulance arrived approximately 2 hours later and transported the patient to the district hospital. Where she received treatment for three months. She is still unable to walk; however, she is recovering more every day.
If it were not for Shanta Gurung Maya’s RMR training, it is likely the patient would stayed at the scene of the accident too long and succumb to the infection that follows burns like these.
Bel Kumari’s Story
On 29 March 2017 at around 7:00pm, Bel Kumari from a Rural Municipality, slipped and fell down the concrete staircase of her house. Locals went and got Maika who they knew was a trained RFR. Manika immediately responed to the scene.
Upon entering the scene Bel Kumari was desperately crying and laying on the ground. Manika preformed a scene safety check as she learned in her RFR training and evacuated the patient to the safe place, she then conducted a complete patient assessment. Bel Kumari was pointing to areas of pain on her right hand and chest. Manika believed there was significant enough injury to Bel Kumari right hand to immobilized Bel Kumari hand using the splint & sling technique she had learned in her RFR training. Manika then referred her to local hospital. Bel Kumari had to then be sent to Kathmandu from the local hospital for further treatment and was diagnosed with a right hand fracture and rib fracture. Bel Kumari has now recovered and is back to her healthy life after treatments.
Manika very so proud that she is able to serve her community by; provide emergency medical services, better the quality of life after illness/injury and truly save her neighbors lives. She has assured that she will always be one step ahead to save the life of people facing injuries from her families and community using the skill received from the 3 days RFR training.
Bel Kumari continually voices how grateful she is to the EMS team for preparing people like Manika for communities in Dhading. It is the many stories like these that motivates use to continue our work, Making sure no matter a person social-economic status or how rural their village is… They will receive emergency medical care.
Goma's Story - Update!
***UPDATE – As of Patrick and Brad’s Nepal Visit, March 2019, Goma Has Made a 100% Recovery!***
On the afternoon of January 21st, 2017, Goma was going about her normal daily routine, collecting food for her family’s livestock. She was headed back towards her home with a basket full of fodder balanced on her head. As Goma rounded a corner, looking down at the ground, balancing the large basket on her head, she didn’t see the oxen fighting directly in front of her. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. She had been smashed between the two oxen. Goma was rendered unconscious, with severe internal injuries. Her husband found her, and at first, he thought she was dead. He yelled for help, and approximately twenty-five minutes after the incident, someone heard him. That person went and got Rural Medical Responder (RMR) Shreeram. RMR Shreeram responded immediately. Once on scene, he performed a trauma medical assessment. He found Goma still had a pulse. RMR Shreeram utilized his training and performed lifesaving interventions. He then properly packaged Goma for safe transport and took her to the hospital. RMR Shreeram not only saved Goma’s life: he gave her the opportunity to meet her first grand-baby, who was born in the same hospital where Goma was recovering.
Indra’s Story
At approximately 9:00 am on the 8th of April, 2017, Shanta Gurung Maya was teaching a class at the elementary school in the rural municipality of Benighat Rorang, as she normally does. But this morning, there was a call for help. Shanta responded immediately, and upon arriving she found Indra, a 70 year woman who had been cooking vegetable curry on a makeshift stove. The entire boiling batch of curry had fallen, covering Indra’s lower body with full thickness burns. Shanta immediately referred to her Rural Medical Responder (RMR) training. She called the local hospital and requested an ambulance for transport. She then started to treat Indra for shock, and to prevent infection. The ambulance arrived approximately 2 hours later, and transported Indra to the district hospital, where she received treatment for three months. At present, she is still unable to walk; however, she is recovering more every day. If not for Shanta Gurung Maya’s RMR training, it is likely that Indra would have stayed at the scene of the accident too long, untreated, and succumbed to shock or infection from her wounds.
Bel Kumari’s Story
On 29 March 2017 at around 7:00pm, a resident in a rural municipality named Bel Kumari slipped and fell down the concrete staircase of her house. Locals went to get Manika, who they knew was a trained Rural First Responder (RFR). She immediately responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, Manika found Bel Kumari on the ground, crying desperately. Manika preformed a scene safety check, and first evacuated the patient to the safe place, then conducted a complete patient assessment. Bel Kumari was pointing to areas of pain on her right hand and chest. Understanding that there was a significant injury to Bel Kumari’s right hand, Manika immobilized it using the splint & sling technique she had learned in her RFR training. There was very little to be done for her closed chest injury in the field – it would have to be treated at the hospital, so that is where Manika sent her. Bel Kumari was transported to Kathmandu from the local hospital for further treatment, and was diagnosed with a right hand fracture and rib fracture. She has now recovered and is back to a healthy life after treatment.