Kathmandu: The Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal (HRA) has dispatched a 14-member team, including foreign physicians, to three strategic locations in the Solukhumbu and Manang districts. This initiative aims to provide essential medical services to both foreign and domestic mountaineers and trekkers as the spring climbing season begins.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the HRA, established in 1973, focuses on offering medical aid during the spring and autumn mountaineering seasons. The team comprises five foreign and four Nepali doctors, with the remaining members fulfilling essential roles. Temporary health outposts have been set up at the Mt Everest Base Camp, Pheriche in Solukhumbu, and Manang village to cater to the needs of climbers.
HRA President Dambar Parajuli explained that volunteer doctors have been trained to deliver specialized medical services at these locations, targeting both domestic and international tourists. The deployment includes one foreign and two Nepali doctors at the Base Camp, with two foreign and one Nepali doctor each stationed at Pheriche and Manang villages. The teams, which have already commenced their operations, include HRA employees as well.
Dr. Laura Elizabeth Clapham, Dr. Saraellen Wesley Arathun, and Nepali Dr. Sabitra Thapa are stationed at the Manang Health Post. At the Pheriche Health Post, Dr. John Jay Everett from the USA, Dr. Kentze Koh from Australia, and Dr. Surya Prasad Joshi from Nepal are providing medical services. Dr. Roy Gordon Harris from the UK, along with Dr. Ashish Lohani and Dr. Suraj Shrestha from Nepal, are serving at the Everest Base Camp.
The HRA, which annually serves thousands of climbers, also offers medical support to trekkers by setting up health camps at Gosainkunda during the Janai Purnima festival. Govinda Basyal, the Association’s Chief Executive Officer, stated that the volunteer doctors have undergone comprehensive training to address health issues typical of mountainous regions, including acute high altitude illness.
The organization, a non-profit formed to reduce casualties in the Nepal Himalayas, adheres to deploying only doctors recognized by the Nepal Medical Council. The HRA’s efforts, which focus on preventing deaths from Acute Mountain Sickness, have contributed significantly to making the Himalayas safer for tourists over the past 43 years.