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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2015)
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 Travelogue Part two: ds Making frien al ep in Kumari, N Next week: ‘Living vicariously through the adventures of our friends’ “We recognize these humble people in this virtually unknown spot on Planet Earth as simply friends. Good friends, and not only of ours but of our greater Hood River community. As we bounced our way back to Kathmandu, my thoughts were becoming clear about what we can do.” Jim Haun and Jim Pennington learn ways to sustain Kumari connection By JIM HAUN For the News On the morning of Dec. 1, seven of us and our driver piled into our rented Land Cruiser, including Jagat Lama and his two top associ- ates, Chet and Chaundra, and the Kumari clinic phar- macist, in Kathmandu to visit his young son who was ill. The four hour drive to Ku- mari begins in the hustle and chaos of Kathmandu and passes by slums along the river which flank the austere government hospital before exiting to the relative tran- quility of the Trisuli (paved) road. Before long, we left the pavement to travel over ridges and through valleys along roads more resembling goat trails, enjoying bumpy but spectacular vistas of ter- raced farms, lush forests and distant Langtang peaks for the remaining hours of our journey, arriving in Kumari mid-afternoon. After being greeting by some villagers with fragrant marigold leis, Jagat took us on a tour of his experimental farm, bypass- ing the clinic for the time being. This surprised me a little but I took it as a sign, which was later confirmed, that Jagat needed the diver- sion the experimental farm appeared to provide. Kumari is not so much a village as it is a large region, akin to a county, populated by 70,000 residents spread throughout the many nearby hills and valleys. Apart from a very elementary “trading post”, there is virtually no commerce or town center. The clinic and school are the only substantial structures anywhere to be seen. In fact, many of the homes can’t be seen at all other than at night when lit. Most, if not all, res- idents are subsistence farm- ers. ■ The clinic compound is impressive. After seeing the experimental f ar m, we began our tour and met the staff which consisted of per- sonnel from Kumari who had been trained and certified in Kathmandu, then returned to serve their community. The staff is comprised of a PA (Physician’s assistant), a pharmacist, a lab technician, a midwife and a janitor. The clinic is a no-frills concrete structure with an ER, patient ward, pharmacy, lab, gyne- cology room, an outpatient office and 2 comfortable resi- dences for non-patient visi- tors (where we stayed). The entire facility was clean and orderly, with basic supplies and equipment. It was completed and began of- fering services in April 2014. We were surprised to dis- cover that their patient load was only several (typically less than 10) per day, with some days having no patients at all. Since opening in April, About the author Jim Haun, left, with Dr. James Pennington, is a construction and prop- erty management con- sultant who has traveled seven previous times to the Himalayas. Penning- ton is a physician who has had a Hood River practice since 1992. the midwife had delivered only 2 babies. Our western minds raced to try to under- stand this. We’d all seen pic- tures of long lines – many hundreds of people - waiting to receive care during mobile clinics in the past, before the clinic was officially open. And clearly, with 70,000 resi- dents and no other nearby clinics, there is a significant need. Numerous theories and ideas surfaced including costs, transportation, super- stitions, local customs, and education. Are people aware of the clinic and what it can provide? Are they aware that the services are available for free to those who can’t pay? Are they simply not accus- tomed to seeking medical help because none was previ- ously available? Do their su- perstations and wariness of outsiders cause them to stay away? We were to learn that if they were concer ned about costs, they have the op- tion to walk 4 hours then catch a bus to Kathmandu where they could be treated at no charge in the govern- ment hospital. For many, and probably most, if they thought they’d have to pay even $10 for services they’d rather (or have no choice to) do the walk or be carried if necessary, to receive free ser- vices. ■ My earlier suspicious about the indef atig able Jagat’s possible need for a rest were confirmed in a can- did conversation we had that after noon where he ex- pressed his concern about the day-to-day strain and pressure of now running the clinic after so many years of preparation, fundraising and construction. Now he carries the burden of paying a staff, educating the community, in- creasing the service levels, etc. On top of that, he wants the community to be self-sus- taining and not reliant on outside support. As always, though, he has a plan. A very good plan. To underwrite the ongoing costs of the clinic he believes that sufficient revenue can be achieved by operating a farm specifically for that purpose. He has his eye on a piece of land on the main paved road, about an hour from Kathmandu. While Ku- mari is predominantly farm- land, its location – as is a problem in much of rural Nepal – makes it prohibitive- ly difficult and expensive to transport crops to the popu- lation centers. This new po- tential farm is close to the city, on a main road and has plenty of year-around water. Looking ahead to clinic oper- See TRAVEL, Page B6 IN DECEMBER 2014,Haun and Pennington traveled to Kumari, Nepal, to visit and lend a hand at the Sukman Memorial Polyclinic in Kumari, established by trekking guide and community activist Jagat Lama. Haun and fellow team member Daniel Bryant wear flower garlands given them on arrival. “I felt like a dignitary,” Pen- nington said, who consults with Elen, a physician assistant at the clinic, and the Kumari mayor. Haun and Pennington learned of Jagat’s efforts via Hood River photographer Peter Marbach, who went to Kumari as part of a documentary film team in early 2013. Photos by Jim Haun and Jim Pennington B1
