This morning we packed a medical bag just in case we had patients to see. One of the team members met up with a Nepali man who has been giving care through his two hospitals for a small fee or for free if the patients are unable to pay. He has wished for more involvement of foreign partners. One of the hospitals Manmohan Memorial Community Hospital is in Pharping, 18 km south of Kathmandu. It was set up in Nepali year of 2060. Nepali year is 57 years ahead of our calendar year. Everything seems to be plunged into the future. The year now is 2072, by their year, I would be over 100 years old, everyone jokes that they are aging rather well.
The hospital is in two buildings and one of them is still being built, only the first floor is finished with emergency room and outpatient area. It is quite congested and more like an apartment building being divided into various sections for hospital care. Although the owner said that they see between 50-100 patients, we did not see any evidence of it. There were no patients waiting. Two patients were being treated in the Emergency room and we did not see any outpatients waiting. In the 6-bed hospital ward were 4 patients. It has the capacity to do laboratory work including checking for hepatitis B, C, HIV, and diagnosis for TB. We left in the early afternoon for Kathmandu.
In the afternoon, one of the drivers and interpreters accompanied me to the Dharahara Tower which was destroyed in the earthquake, only the base remains. The area was busy and very dusty. We walked around Durbar square where a great portion of the old palace has been destroyed and the area cordoned off. Tents have been set up in the square for people who lost their homes. While we were gone there was a hail storm near the Rokpa Hotel where we are staying, golf-sized pellets came down in the garden for a few minutes but where we were there was no precipitation.
In the evening we received news that there are now 300 medical teams in Nepal!