Weekly Elixir – Rotary Club of Parry Sound
…for the week of June 29, 2009
Local Rotary will help build prenatal clinic in Nepal
…from the Chillicothe Gazette.com
BY LOREN GENSON • Gazette Staff Writer • July 1, 2009
Dr. Biplav Yadav, a physician at Family Health Care in Chillicothe, was raised in the Maleth Village Development Committee, a rural community with six small villages and a total population of 12,000 in the Saptari District of southeastern Nepal, about 220 miles southeast of Kathmandu, the capital city.
He hopes the new 2,500 square foot facility planned will help provide better health care for women and children, and hopefully the community at large.
Ashtha Singh, left, sings a traditional Nepalese song with her brother Ilesh Singh at the Rotary Club's Nepal Night. (Loren Genson/Gazette)
"I have been there, and I saw the hardships these people face," said Yadav, whose father and other family members still farm in Nepal. "The nearest health facility is one to two hours away and many die on the way, or can't afford to go."
The First Capital Rotary Club, based in Chillicothe, Ohio, has teamed up with Yadav's foundation, the International Health Foundation to help construct the facility. Rotary President Randy Davies said they are working with Rotary International and their chapter near Kathmandu to help raise money for the center.
"Our national goal this year is to help child mortality rates around the world," Davies said at a Rotary Club "Nepal Night" featuring traditional Nepalese entertainment and food. "We want to help make sure children can be born in a safe and clean environment."
The facility would provide neo-natal, pregnancy and other medical support for the women and children in the community.
"Ninety-nine percent of deliveries are in the home," Yadav said, adding many homes have mud walls and a thatched roof. "For neo-natal care, there is usually none."
Child mortality rates are also high in the poor and underdeveloped community, where water is provided by a well.
"Upper respiratory infections is the leading cause of infant death, which is something we can easily treat," Yadav said.
The center would be staffed with four people including health assistants, which is similar to a physicians assistant in the United States, and midwives to deliver the babies.
"They are not doctors, but they are able to write prescriptions and can help treat the people," Yadav said.
Rotary said the cost to staff the center and provide medicine supplies is about $6,000 a year, and it plans to make a commitment to support the center yearly.
"We will get some money from Rotary International and also get some grants to help keep the facility running," Davies said.
Health education and immunization also will be important goals, Yadav said. Diseases such as polio, which can easily be prevented, still are seen in the community. Once constructed, the center will be the first brick building in the community.
"This is going to be a really important resource for these people, and there is hope to possibly expand the facility to include an Urgent Care type of facility," Davies said.
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The Chillicothe First Capital Club (Ohio, USA) has about 26 members. District 6690. They meet every Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m. at the Pump House Center for the Arts in Chillicothe’s Yoctangee Park. The art gallery presents a unique setting for each meeting. Breakfast is served and everyone is invited to visit and become a member of this club.
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