Dolpo in Nepal
Together we are improving healthcare for Dolpo in north-western Nepal.
Dolpo: An often forgotten place in Nepal with a lack of healthcare
About us
DolpoCare is a non-profit organization that improves health care in Dolpo in northwestern Nepal.
Dolpo in the northwest of Nepal needs our support.
In theory, Nepal has a solid healthcare system with regional hospitals and district hospitals, which should guarantee basic medical care for the entire population. However, the Dolpo region in north-western Nepal lacks reliable healthcare. We want to change this by empowering young people from Dolpo: DolpoCare finances the training of prospective doctors and nurses, who in return commit to practicing in Dolpo after graduation.
But the "reality check" shows:
People living in remote regions such as Dolpo have no access to medical care and therefore die from diseases that we thought had long been overcome by today's medicine. Diarrheal diseases that do not seem serious at first glance, a fall in the mountainous terrain of Dolpo or a birth without medical assistance can permanently affect the lives of people in this region in northwestern Nepal.
In 2018 and 2019, the later DolpoCare team visited Dolpo twice. Together with two Swiss doctors, we explored and assessed the medical situation.
Since DolpoCare was founded, we have been to Nepal on average once a year to meet the young talents we support and to take a look around the country.
How can we help Dolpo?
Based on the expert assessments of doctors from Switzerland and Nepal, the results of our numerous interviews with locals and local authorities, meetings with staff at the hospital in Dolpo's main town of Dunai and the local authorities, we carried out a detailed analysis of the primary healthcare situation in Dolpo. This resulted in the DolpoCare association, with which we are improving healthcare in Dolpo.
Our mission
Our association aims to improve basic medical care in Dolpo in north-western Nepal. In doing so, we focus on empowering the local population to provide this basic medical care on their own in the future. Through cooperation with local people and the government, on-site visits and a step-by-step approach, we guarantee effective and efficient help where it is urgently needed.
Current activities
The DolpoCare association aims to sustainably improve basic medical care in Dolpo. The focus is on training local teenagers and young adults to become medical professionals. The talented young people supported were selected following recommendations from local school principals, teachers and meetings with the DolpoCare team.
DolpoCare is currently funding the medical studies of two young people from Dolpo, while one nurse and one nurse have already completed their training. Four other nurses are still in training.
Nyima Lhamo Gurung
from Dolpo
"I have seen several times how patients could not be treated and the treatments are too expensive. As a Health Assistant, I will be able to offer the population in Dolpo affordable help quickly in the event of illness or an accident."
Chetana Shah
from Sisne
"I have often seen sick or injured people having to walk for two days to receive medical care - I want to change that as soon as I have completed my training as a nurse and return to Dolpo!"
Yungdrun Magli Budha
from Phoksundo
"I want to go back to Dolpo as a doctor and help the women who suffer from many problems and even still die in childbirth."
Swikriti Shahi
from Dunai
"I want to become a doctor because I know the situation of my people in Dolpo and I am sure that I will be able to make an important contribution to healthcare in Dolpo after completing my medical studies."
Where exactly is Dolpo?
Dolpo is a very remote and high-altitude region in the northwest of Nepal, bordering Tibet, where there are no roads. The area lies in the Himalayas, the settlements are located at an altitude of 2,300 to over 4,300 meters and are among the highest permanently inhabited in the world. Dolpo is bordered in all four directions by mountain ranges over 6,000 meters high. In the south it is bordered by the Dhaulagiri range. Although Dolpo is the largest district in Nepal, it has a population of around 30,000, of which around 2,500 live in the town center in Dunai.
DolpoCare Team
DolpoCare is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. DolpoCare's founding members have experience in healthcare, fundraising and promoting innovation. Swiss doctors act as medical advisors. The team is complemented by members with profound knowledge in development collaborations, communication and public relations.
What your donations achieve:
50 francs
Textbooks for one school year for a nurse in training
90 francs
Two weeks of school and practical lessons by healthcare professionals in training
150 francs
Exam fees of a prospective doctor
300 francs
Average living costs of a DolpoCare student per semester
500 francs
Three-month preparatory course for medical studies
1000 francs
One year tuition fees in nursing
