In the past few days we have traversed over a vast area of Nepal, mostly in remote parts recommended by the Ministry of Health but have not found a tremendous amount of medical needs. So we headed back to Kathmandu in two separate teams, one to do an assessment for medical needs in two villages along the way and the team I was with went back to Chautara to see the Norwegian Field Hospital and for the team leader to report back to the UN regarding our assessment up north of Sindhupalchowk.
The Norwegian Field Hospital now occupies half of the ground all cordoned off with orange netted fence. The large tent set up by the Nepal government right after the earthquake to see patients is still there now triaging patients to be seen at the field hospital. Displaced families were set up in big tents and they are being fed, they were having lunch when we arrived. Food is cooked in a big kitchen at the other end of the field. The field hospital is only partly set up with the x-ray machine and ultrasound just came yesterday. There is only a ward with inpatients and an “ICU” for post-op patients but they only have to content with a few minor surgeries. The tent was filled with patients waiting to be seen. The field hospital will be here for six months in place of the damaged district hospital.
We were told that there are now 200 medical teams in Nepal including their own local Nepali teams, perhaps too many teams on the ground. The Nepali army has been efficient in evacuating many of the injured people to Kathmandu and now we are not finding a great need for medical care in the villages.