HRA deployed teams of doctors at three places to treat trekkers

KATHMANDU, April 11:The Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal (HRA) has sent teams of doctors to three different locations to treat local and foreign mountain trekkers.

With the arrival of the spring season, the team has been deployed for temporary health centers at Everest base camp in Solukhumbu, Pheriche in Solukhumbu, and Manang village in Manang to treat mountain tourists on their way to the summit.

Govinda Basyal, the HRA's chief executive officer, announced that volunteer doctors have been mobilized to provide specialist services in the base area to domestic and foreign tourists planning to climb the mountains. One foreigner and two Nepali doctors, he says, will provide health care at Everest base camp, two foreigners and one Nepali doctor at Feriche, and two foreigners and one Nepali doctor at Manang village. HRA employees have also been assigned to those teams.

The HRA, which was founded in 2030 with the goal of providing health services to tourists who go mountain climbing in the spring and autumn, has served thousands of local and foreign climbers each year. "Every year, we provide health services to pilgrims who come to Gosaikunda for the Janaipurnima fair," said CEO Basyal.

According to Hari Dharel, president of the HRA, the volunteer doctors were sent to the work site after receiving detailed training on the health issues that occur in mountain areas, such as altitude sickness and other treatments. He stated that the HRA provides free health care to indigenous trekkers while charging a small fee to foreign trekkers.

The HRA has only appointed doctors who have been approved by the Nepal Medical Council. Mountain medicine is practiced by field doctors. Since 2003, the HRA has served climbers, climbing staff, and other trekkers by operating a health camp at Everest base camp.

Dharel, the president of HRA, has been providing health services in Feriche since 1973, Manang village since 1980, and Gosaikunda since 1997. The HRA has been working to provide information about altitude sickness by placing hoarding boards, printing and distributing pamphlets, printing information in tourism-related magazines, and providing training to high school and college students, according to the HRA.

The HRA has been conducting tourist guide and tourist assistant training in collaboration with stakeholders, as well as the Clean Mountain Campaign in collaboration with the Nepali Army.