Volunteer Society Nepal is playing an active role in linking rural Nepali people with experienced medical and health
personnel from both Nepal and around the world. The VSN Health Care Program mobilizes volunteers experienced in medical and health areas, to rural places where the government is unable to provide a formal health institution. Many rural Nepali people are often reluctant to go to the hospital and other modern health services because of orthodox thinking, superstition and other cultural influences. Some Nepali people may visit faith-healer or witch doctor when they suffer from illness, so they sometimes die as a result of avoiding modern medications. By living and working with rural communities, Health Program volunteers also increase the exposure of rural Nepali people to modern medicine.
Though Nepal has made rapid strides at improving the healthcare of the country, the system is still short of desirable. In remote and poorer areas, many people have no access to healthcare and those with access receive substandard treatment. Unfortunately, there is an extreme lack of doctors, nurses and medical facilities and as a result, Nepal has one of the lowest life expectancy rates. In addition, many people suffer from preventable and treatable diseases. If you are a medically trained professional or a student, volunteer in the medical/healthcare project in Nepal and provide proper treatment to locals, drastically changing their lives for the better. This is the perfect project to gain international and professional experience while providing you and those you help with an enriching, productive and meaningful experience.
In this program, trained and experienced health volunteers will be assigned to working in Health Post/ Health Clinic/ Hospital/ Polyclinics either being run by the government or a local community, in rural or urban settings. Placement of volunteers in these health institutions will increase the capacity of Nepali health workers to provide better medical facilities when doctors and experienced medical personnel are not available. Those health workers in rural areas have very little knowledge of the health care system. Volunteers will work for 5-6 hours each day, 6 days a week. But, the volunteers who want to work in urban areas they will be working with medical doctors and those doctors have better knowledge and skill about health care and they also have good English language skills.
Volunteer Society Nepal encourages all interested experienced medical and health personnel, including students, professionals, organizations, associations and other groups to join the Health Program and make a lasting contribution towards supporting needy Nepali people
Each volunteer in Nepal working in the community health/medical project will have varying responsibilities and tasks and volunteer projects will depend on one’s qualifications and certifications as a medical professional. Duties may include:
- Helping with a routine check-up
- Assisting in the lab
- Carry health check-up programs at local schools, orphanages, women’s group, disable centers and community groups
- Providing basic first aid and care
- Shadowing health workers, therapists, nurses or doctors
- Working with organization administrations
- Helping in the pharmacy
- Recording patient details
- Measuring vital signs such as blood pressure, height, weight
- Distributing medicines
- Assisting with medical procedures
- Helping incoming patients
- Performing and assist in the in-day emergency room
- Partnering with local doctors
- Qualified doctors can diagnose and treat patients
- Organize health care related training for local health workers
- Carry out health care and sanitation awareness in the local schools
- Get involved in working with the youth clubs, women’s groups, and other local organizations, teaching them about proper health and sanitation.
- Conduct First-Aid training to the local people in rural villages, thereby providing them with a practical and sustainable life-skill.
- Conduct First Aid courses to children in schools, lasting from several days to a week in duration.
- Trained and experienced health volunteers may organize health camps in rural areas where there is no health facility at all for between two and five days. Health Volunteers will work alongside their Nepali counterparts to examine patients, distribute medicine and consult with communities about sanitation and health care.
Arriving to work in a foreign country can be a nerve-wracking experience, this is why at VSN we provide a friendly and in-depth welcome. The in-depth welcome encompasses basic language training, cultural training, and sightseeing through Kathmandu and surrounding. This is what you can expect from the moment when you touch down at Tribhuvan Intl. Airport. The program may vary depending on your time of arrival. We will manage to include all the below-mentioned activities in your introduction program.
After a leisurely start and breakfast, so you can recover properly from your journey, you will start your Nepali language course at the VSN office. After meeting the entire VSN team you will have 2 lessons from around 10.30 to 12.45 with our highly experienced language teachers. This will also give you a chance to meet any other volunteers joining at the same time. In the afternoon, one of our staff will take you around the local area of Pepsi-Cola where the office and home-stays are for the induction period.
