Posted by Sushant Wagley
* Note: This is the first in a series of Nyaya Health staff member profiles. Through these profiles, which will be posted on Saturdays, we hope to give you a better idea of the people who are working on the ground to implement Nyaya’s vision on a daily basis.
For a helping hand in almost any area, members of the Nyaya team know to turn to Lal Bahadur Kunwar. “During the reconstruction of Bayalpata Hospital Dr. Thapa and I used to be in Dhangadi, my hometown, but I would never have a chance to relax at home with family. We were constantly running on my motorcycle from one vendor to another, getting quotes for electrical wiring, plumbing, painters, etc… But I am happy to see that our work has transformed the hospital and now we can utilize these buildings to provide quality care,” he reflects.
Lal Bahadur Kunwar, a health assistant, is one of Nyaya's key healthcare providers.
Lal, one of two health assistants (HAs) hired by Nyaya, was born in the neighboring district of Doti, but spent most of his life living in Dhangadi. He completed his School Leaving Certificate from Galaxy High School and continued his education in Dhangadi. Several years later, Lal was certified as an HA from Bhageshwor Academy and went on to attain his Bachelor’s degree in education. Upon completing his training Lal worked in Achham as an HA, managing one of the government sub-health posts. After spending 1.5 years in Ghajra, Lal joined Nyaya while operations were underway at the Sanfe Clinic.
Besides seeing patients in the outpatient and emergency departments, Lal has been highly involved with medicine and material procurement for the hospital. He contacts various pharmaceutical and medical suppliers to ensure that Nyaya’s stores are sufficient and reliable, often working after-hours and on weekends. When asked about his work with Nyaya, Lal says, “I have always wanted to be a health assistant. My brother is a health assistant and I too had strong interests in this field. Working with Dr. Thapa for the past year has taught me a lot about medicine and the high patient volume at the clinic and the hospital has exposed me to many different and interesting cases. I am very happy and thankful for all that I have learned during my time at Nyaya. I am sure this will continue as we see more patients everyday at Bayalpata.” Lal hopes to eventually work as a professor, training others to become HAs.