A Short-Term Medical Mission in Rural Nepal: Chief Complaints, Medications Dispensed, and Unmet Health Needs

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough Nepal is striving to expand primary health services for its citizens, many remote areas have limited access to basic health care. Short-term medical missions (STMMs) are one way of supplementing human resources for health in underserved areas. This article describes the chief complaints, medications dispensed, and unmet health needs during an STMM in rural Nepal. MethodsThis study is a retrospective analysis of data collected during an STMM that occurred in October 2017. Deidentified data from clinic intake forms were entered into an Excel spreadsheet, and formatted and cleaned. Demographics, chief complaints, medications, and unmet health needs were analyzed using descriptive statistics. ResultsDuring a two-day health camp, 443 patients were seen. The most common chief complaint was dental (33.4%) followed by musculoskeletal (28.2%) and gastrointestinal (21.2%). Medications were dispensed to 94.8% of patients, primarily analgesics, antibiotics, and ophthalmologic preparations. Of the patients, 21% had unmet health needs, including specialty care and labs or imaging that were beyond the scope of the STMM. One patient was referred urgently to a hospital for treatment of dyspnea and markedly elevated blood pressure. ConclusionWhile STMMs cannot replace access to primary health services, they can provide insight into acute care needs in a system that has limited surveillance. This information describing an acute care patient population should inform future development work.

A specialized health camp (Orthopedics) in rural set up: an experience from a tertiary care institution in Nepal

“…A two-day health camp in Thonche village, Nepal was conducted where out of 443 patients seen, 28.2% were musculoskeletal cases 12 . In health camps conducted in Nuwakot by Pambos et al ., musculoskeletal problems were the second most common diagnosis which was present in 19.3% of adults ( n =1574) presenting to the camp.…”

“…Similar results are seen in this study as well where farmers constitute the bulk of the population presenting to the health camp (68.28%). Both of these studies showed that musculoskeletal problems are also one of the causes of considerable unmet disease burden, especially in the remote areas of Nepal [12,13] . There are studies describing specialist health camps for diabetes, cataract, gynecology, and otorhinolaryngology but there have been no studies about specialized orthopedic health camps [13] .…”

Enhancing Performance of Health Assistants through Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Better Healthcare Access

“…In the Nepalese context, there is a lack of robust healthcare infrastructures, particularly in remote and rural areas, where basic medical facilities, such as hospitals and clinics are scarce or nonexistent (Bitter et al, 2021). This deficit intertwines with profound accessibility issues, exacerbating healthcare disparities because difficult terrains and inadequate transportation hinder the delivery of crucial medical services to these remote regions (Cothran, 2016).…”