Working towards Health Equity and Access in Rural Nepal
Posted in Logistics and Management, News, Patient Stories, Social Justice and Health on Aug 2nd, 2010
Posted by Astha Ramaiya Wendy Glauser, a journalist from Toronto, recently visited Nyaya’soperations in Achham and wrote about the Safe Motherhood Incentive Program and birthing practices in Nepal. You can read her piece in the Canadian Medical Association Journal which can be accessed here.
Posted in News, Social Justice and Health on Jul 13th, 2010
Posted by Astha Ramaiya Bayalpata Hospital has recently been approved by the regional District Health Office to begin The Safe Motherhood Program, in which expectant mothers can be financially reimbursed for attending antenatal care (ANC) visits and delivering in the hospital. Given that Achham suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in South [...]
Posted in Reports, Social Justice and Health on Jul 11th, 2010
Posted by Sanjay Basu Nyaya Health has recently expanded its clinical reach to address one of the most basic, and yet widely unaddressed, health issues to affect the rural poor: malnutrition. Introducing micronutrient supplementation, fortified milk, and ready-to-use therapeutic foods, Nyaya hopes to attain the highest clinical standards to treat malnutrition as a chronic source of [...]
Posted in Mortality Reviews, Patient Stories on Jun 7th, 2010
Posted by Duncan Maru, MD, PHD All too often in our work, we are confronted by deaths of young people that are devastating by their impact on families and communities and by the fact of their being so preventable. The death of this young pregnant woman and her child, described below in the mortality report [...]
Posted in News, Patient Stories, Reports, Social Justice and Health on May 16th, 2010
Posted by Ryan Schwarz Nepali film-maker Subina Shrestha has produced a new documentary on birthing practices in western Nepal and their effect on women’s health. The production was recently aired in an episode of WITNESS, an Al Jazeera television production. Shrestha explores why Nepal has among the highest rates of maternal mortality in South Asia; [...]
Posted in Reports, Social Justice and Health on Apr 28th, 2010
This is the first in a series of guest contributions by authors working for health justice in South Asia. We are pleased to support their work, and encourage our readers to think critically about the connection between our work and theirs. April marks Nyaya’s second birthday working as an advocate for health justice for the [...]
Posted in Logistics and Management, Patient Stories, Social Justice and Health on Apr 8th, 2010
Posted by Astha Ramaiya One of the most entrenched forms of gender inequality in Achham is that of illiteracy. The literacy rate amongst young girls aged six to fifteen is only 16% compared to 54% among boys of the same age group. Adult literacy among women in Achham is an appalling 7% compared to 48% [...]
Posted in Logistics and Management, Patient Stories, Social Justice and Health on Mar 26th, 2010
Posted by Ranju Sharma In early January, The Kathmandu Post reported the death of a woman in the district of Achham during her stay in a “Chhaupadi goth.” She was found dead in the shed on the fifth day of her stay; her eight-month-old son, who stayed with her, was found unconscious. Two weeks before [...]
Posted in Logistics and Management, Patient Stories on Mar 21st, 2010
Posted by Dr. Susan Warren “Bayalpata drowns in the tears of its women.” – unknown Achhami poet, quoted by clinician “A woman might get married at age 12. She gets pregnant right away and hopes for a son. The women work hard and the husband is away most of the time for jobs. He spends [...]
Posted in Clinic Staff, Logistics and Management, Social Justice and Health on Feb 5th, 2010
Posted by Chintan Maru On Thursday, under a banyan tree that has sheltered generations, the village of Ridikot assembled to discuss its annual development goals. Dr. Jhapat Thapa, Nyaya’s Medical Director, was invited to sit with community leaders including representatives of the major political parties, Dalit and women’s rights groups, and the sole member of [...]
Posted in Patient Stories, Reports, Social Justice and Health, Uncategorized on Dec 10th, 2009
Posted by Dan Schwarz “I have seven girls. I had one boy but he died when he was very young. I’ve been to Dhangadi two times before [for ultrasound diagnostics] but both times they were girls and I got rid of them.” -Excerpted from Dr. Ruma Rajbhandari’s new article in The Nepali Times In the United [...]
Posted in Patient Stories, Social Justice and Health on Sep 1st, 2009
Posted by Bibhav Acharya One of Nyaya Health’s board members, Bibhav Acharya, reflects on a patient’s story from the summer of 2008. She went into cardiac arrest as she was carried into the clinic. The men carrying her said she had been bitten by a snake. We put everything on hold and rushed to assist [...]
Posted in News on Jul 2nd, 2009
Posted by Shefali Oza While Bayalpata Hospital services started on June 21st, today was the official opening ceremony for the hospital. Over 300 people assembled on the front lawn, including the Chief District Officer of Achham and other local, district, and regional-level officials. The ceremony was organized by Bayalpata’s previous hospital management board, which included [...]
Posted in Clinic Staff, Logistics and Management on Apr 21st, 2008
Posted by Tenzing Tekan 6:30am Wake up at sunrise. Carry water to the house from the spring and get washed and cleaned. While I am washing, the night watchman brings a paper with a question from the overnight shift Assistant Nurse-Midwife regarding a dehydrated infant. Since it is a simple intervention, I write a reply [...]
Posted in Social Justice and Health on Apr 8th, 2008
Posted by Bibhav Acharya Chris, Mahendra, Bikram and I hiked up to Prabha to have conversations with folks who live there about their access to healthcare and about Nyaya’s clinic, which was opening soon. As we watched, listened and spoke, we learned a little more about suffering, health, nyaya (Nepali word for justice), and we [...]