Survived the Night in Kathmandu

Steve's  Blog:  February 25th:
Me and my red hot water bottle survived the night at the hotel last night and I actually had electricity this morning for a few short hours!  Hallelujah!  We are back in Kathmandu today but will be leaving for Pokhara on Monday which is about a 7-hour bus ride.  I can hardly wait. I hear that Pokhara is supposed to be nice, as lots of families vacation there.  I have to say that Nepal is really beautiful.

Today we went to the Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children, which is located in Dhulikhel. This medical center provides spinal surgeries for the entire country of Nepal. We met today with the administrator of the hospital and one of the doctors that performs the surgeries. They do approximately 40 to 50 spinal surgeries per year with most of the surgeries related to scoliosis.  They perform surgeries for cerebral palsy and club foot, as well . This facility is very similar to the Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Seattle. Payment is based on the economic well being of the parents, so they can basically pay as little or as much as they can afford. The facility also has the capability of manufacturing/constructing artificial limbs.We were provided with the opportunity to visit with some of the children who have had recent surgeries. These kids were amazing - they were very happy and upbeat despite their ailments and recent surgeries.

The purpose of this visit to this hospital was extremely important to our club, as we have the opportunity to provide $1,000 for assistance in the purchasing of new medical equipment for an intensive care unit which is planned for the hospital. Presently, there is no recovery room for the patients who have surgeries.

I will pick up on this later, as my computer battery is low.

Steve Swank is member of the Rotary Club of Des Moines and is on a Rotary sponsored trip to the country of Nepal to view the projects that the club is currently supporting.