Nepal Medical Elective 2008

We were made to feel extremely welcome by all of the staff working and families living at the hospital and enjoyed getting to know them during our placement. We were continually struck by their passion, commitment and affection for Anandaban and the important work they are doing. 

Acting as both the tertiary referral centre for leprosy for the central region of Nepal, as well as a community hospital for the surrounding Lalitpur district, Anandaban provided a great opportunity to learn about leprosy while also having good exposure to general medical and surgical patients.

Through the leprosy clinic held each Wednesday at Patan hospital in Kathmandu, and the weekly ulcer and reaction ward rounds at Anandaban, we learnt how to diagnose and treat leprosy, as well as manage subsequent leprosy reactions and complications. Spending time with the physiotherapists learning and carrying out sensory and voluntary muscle testing and rehabilitation exercises post surgery was also very useful and interesting. We really enjoyed participating in the classes run by the occupational therapy department, as part of their inpatient self care programme, which aimed to educate patients to care properly for their eyes, hands and feet to prevent deformity. We were able to carry out an audit project for the resident occupational therapist, assessing the success of the hospital's inpatient self care programme. 

When we reflect back on all the patients we met during our six weeks, there are three young women we immediately think of. The first, met at Patan clinic, was such a testament to the valuable work Anandaban is accomplishing. Having lost both her parents at a young age she lived with and looked after her younger siblings in Kathmandu. Financial hardship and difficult to manage ENL reactions, requiring multiple hospital admissions, had forced her to give up on her education prematurely. Now with her reactions well controlled and an education bursary from Anandaban she was back studying at college, and would bound into clinic every couple of weeks smiling and struggling to manage a huge bundle of textbooks. 


The other two young women we met on Anandaban's leprosy ward reminded us of ourselves- although not actual sisters they were inseparable, always giggling and having fun. Their stories however gave us a sharp reminder of how different we were to them. The struggles and prejudices they faced within their villages ranged from dealing with the shame of simply being a leper at home and trying to hide their deformities from neighbours, to coping with other people's disbelief that there was anything wrong- "it shouldn't stop you from doing any form of hard work- you're lucky after all not being able to feel pain."

Both of us really enjoyed the valuable surgical experience we gained from helping to assist Dr Indra in theatre. Most of the operations performed were amputations or reconstructive surgeries aiming to prevent further deformity and improve function. All of these procedures were completely new to us and therefore extremely interesting. Septic ulcer debridement carried out in septic surgery was also always a memorable experience!

We had a great time staying at the guesthouse at the hospital, spending time with the other students, and meeting and sharing with the other visitors, who for many different reasons had been called to serve in Anandaban. We really enjoyed the fellowship we experienced during our stay. The morning prayer meetings in particular were a perfect way to start each day, and the warm welcome we received at both the womans' and staff bible studies was greatly appreciated.

 

We feel very blessed and are very thankful to have had the opportunity to spend a short time at Anandaban. We left with a fresh realisation of the powerful things that can be accomplished by those who love God and a lasting impression of the importance of hope and encouragement.