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