While infections from Covid-19 rise rapidly in Nepal and circle in on our hospitals, Tansen and Okhaldhunga continue to serve the sick in their districts and beyond. Recently there have been many patients with serious or life-threatening conditions. If we weren’t open, they would likely have died.

 

The patients coming during our ongoing lockdown have often had to travel for hours or days to reach us, because public transport is banned, private travel severely restricted and even ambulances are often refusing to collect sick people or are charging exorbitant fees. This means that people’s condition has usually become more serious by the time they reach us.

 

Today we launch our latest video – Operation Tansen. You can meet the surgical team who have battled their personal fears, continuing to treat patients with severe conditions who have travelled for hours or even days to reach us. You can also read stories of three other staff members – Krishna, Punam and Dr Bikash – who have been involved in Covid-19 preparations, precautionary measures and treating potential cases.

But the virus is only just reaching us… This week Tansen hospital has received our first confirmed cases of Covid-19. As we write, five recent returnees from India who currently have mild symptoms have been transferred to us, to stay in a specially prepared isolation area near our hospital but cared for by our staff. Two patients with symptoms (also returnees) await test results while being cared for in our isolation beds. Thousands of Nepalis have returned from migrant labour in India in the last few days, without adequate quarantine available and overwhelming testing facilities. We expect to see many more infected people reach our hospitals in the coming weeks, especially to Tansen which is nearer the border with India.