14/12/2023

Life changing medical care for the district of Mustang

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Mustang District is the second least populated district in Nepal. The environment is remote and rocky, making travel difficult. Many of the inhabitants have no access to medical care.

In late October, we held a three-day Specialised Outreach Camp in Mustang, providing ENT treatment and rehabilitation care to the people of the area free of charge.

Many people travelled for over seven hours to reach the camp, and over three days our medical team attended to 113 cases ranging from ear operations and hearing aid fittings to rehabilitation and measuring for artificial limbs.

On the road to recovery

Samtuk Gurung is 48 years old and a father of four. He walked for seven hours to reach the camp after being made aware of the facility through a doctor in his village. He has been struggling with his hearing for around five years. He received a hearing aid at the camp and is delighted to now be able to hear much more clearly.

Hearing restored after over 20 years of struggling

Nimasumruk, at the age of 73, now lives with his eldest son. He began to notice a gradual loss of hearing from the age of 50. He was told by doctors at the time that he had a hole in his eardrum and that nothing further could be done for him.

At the camp Nimasumruk was told that he could undergo a simple operation to improve his hearing.

“On behalf of the people of Mustang, I would like to thank you for your help.”

Overcoming educational barriers due to hearing loss

At 11 years old, Bundiya was the youngest patient to undergo ear surgery in this medical camp. She travelled for two hours to reach the camp. Bundiya’s mother commented:

“She has had an ear problem since childhood, but her hearing has been gradually declining for the past 4-5 years. She was good at studies, but because of hearing she gradually started performing poorly in her studies. When talking to her, we noticed that she sometimes didn’t understand what we were saying.

“The operation was successful. The doctors told us not to worry and assured us that everything was going to be okay. I am really happy and thankful to everybody involved and would also like to thank the donors.”

Following the surgery, Bindiya was feeling much better:

“I sometimes heard rumbling noises, and my ears hurt sometimes. When I sat at the back bench, I found it difficult to understand what the teacher was saying. My favorite subject is Nepali. I like the medical camp. I have no pain, and I am okay. Thank you”