Written by Richa Bhattarai, Communications Coordinator, Save the Children in Nepal
For Dr. Meena Maharjan, it is a regular day at the Sub Health Post in Namdu of Dolakha district in north-eastern Nepal. A mother has brought in her child, and the young doctor hurries to look at the infant she helped deliver just 11 days ago. "Some mothers do not even own a clean rag to wrap around their child, it breaks my heart," she said. What also worries Dr Maharjan is that the health post lacks basic facilities like an oxygen cylinder. If a delivery turns complicated, the mother will be referred to the district headquarters an hour away, or even to Kathmandu, a six-hour drive along bumpy roads.
Prior to the earthquakes of April 25 and May 12, Dolakha boasted of 59 public health facilities, out of which 52 (88 %) have been completely damaged, five are partially damaged, and two are functional. Most health facilities are operating out of tents, but there is a severe lack of health equipment, human resource and medicines. The first priority, however, is infrastructure – many of the buildings are damaged beyond repair. One example is the Namdu Health Post, with its grounds covered in tents.
Understanding the needs of patients in Namdu, Save the Children supported the sub health post with health kits. As soon as the kit was opened, Dr. Maharjan's face broke into a smile. "I cannot believe this!" she exclaimed, "This has everything we need. I was talking about how we must have an autoclave, plastic sheets and masks… I can see every single item! We are blessed by God today."
But as we are aware, God's blessings are few and far. It is up to us to ensure that our children and especially newborns receive the best possible health services, post-quake. All health facilities need to be well-equipped with medicines, instruments and human resources. With this thought in mind, the Races for Survival this year were held in Dolakha and Nuwakot – two districts worst-hit by the earthquakes. Already struggling with little or no access to health facilities and services, massive revitalization of the damaged health facilities is required to guarantee better health care for the residents. Hence, the children ran a real recovery race – to draw the attention of government and other stakeholders to their plight. It was the first time in history that two races were run, both outside the country's capital.
In Dolakha on September 18, 300 students from 12 schools ran a race of 3.8 kilometers from the damaged health post in the headquarters to Tundikhel, the power center of the district. They literally carried the message of rebuilding to the administrative agencies. Post-race, they interacted vibrantly with the district stakeholders – the Member of Parliament (MP), Chief District Officer and District Health Officer (DHO) – about the state of health conditions in the district, special provisions for ensuring children's physical and mental well-being, as well as the provisions for rebuilding. MP Anand Pokhrel committed, "The health facilities in the district will be up and running within the next six months."
Exactly a week later, Nuwakot came alive as 150 students ran a 3 kilometer race before assembling to make a call to their district stakeholders – the acting CDO and DHO – about how more than 90 % of their health facilities are in a state of disrepair. DHO Bishwa Ram Shrestha committed that all damaged health facilities would be reconstructed, and health services resumed, by February 2016.
Delailah Borja, Country Director of Save the Children in Nepal, said, "With so much of the population still left in a lurch after the earthquake, we need to pursue our ultimate goal of saving the lives of children and their families even more fiercely. We hope that this advocacy through child participation will help make the challenges of the district become more pronounced at the national level."
