If pictures could talk and only if they could, we would have a better chance peeking inside them. Nowhere to go, nowhere to stay nor could know the difference. Their lives are either inside the cage, shackled by the chains and often under the open sky. Dr. Shreedhar Paudel, Psychiatrist working as a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School, and a Co-founder of Health Foundation Nepal said, “Mental health is a significant health burden in Nepal, and yet one of the most neglected areas.” Anyone who has spent a little time in the healthcare field in Nepal could hardly disagree with Dr. Paudel.

Small interventions here and there could make some difference, but it would not be a sustainable solution. Acknowledging the emergency, Health Foundation Nepal has decided to address this as one of their main projects in Nepal. Psychiatric rehabilitation is a new concept and unheard of in the context of rural Nepal.

This proposed program will address basic human needs, general health, mental health, psychosocial skill training and transitional rehabilitation program. We firmly believe this could potentially trigger a national conversation at a policy level throughout the government agencies.

We need to address the social stigma attached to mental illnesses with a positive message. We would like to instill the belief that people in such dire situation could return to a meaningful life back in the community.

HFN and ANMF Collaboration

Health Foundation Nepal has started raising funds to build the Mental Health Rehabilitation center in Dang, Nepal for a few months. The starting cost of the project has been estimated to be more than hundred twenty thousand US dollars.

Recently, America Nepal Medical Foundation (ANMF) has decided to support this noble cause and contribute Thirty Thousand US dollars towards this project. It will also provide avenues to raise further funds in the future. This collaboration could potentially help to create the significant milestone in the field of psychiatry rehabilitation in Nepal. If you would like to help this initiative please visit the website. More information can be found at http://www.healthfoundationnepal.org/.

Let’s work together so these neglected countrymen could finally come out of the pictures and detour their treacherous journey towards the healing, both physically and mentally.

About Author: Dr. Santosh Sapkota is currently a VP America Nepal Medical Foundation (ANMF). He completed his MBBS from Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara Nepal and Master in Health Administration from Ohio University, USA. He is currently working in Clinical Informatics at Maricopa Integrated Health System in Phoenix, Arizona.