Nyaya Health

Dan Schwarz is a member of the Nyaya Health Board of Directors.

As part of Nyaya’s work with the Praxis Network (PN), we recently facilitated a Technical Exchange Call with other PN organizations, sharing lessons and challenges with regards to each organization’s data monitoring and evaluation operations. The call was graciously hosted by Partners In Health’s Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Quality Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn, and her colleagues Matt Peckarsky, Annie Michaelis, Peggy Creese, and Katie Temes.

Thanks to Peggy Creese, the notes are now available for review; we encourage all our team members to take a look at this insightful conversation.

Among many other lessons from Achham, the shared lessons from other partner organizations continue to inspire us and help us to learn better ways to serve the Achhami people. 

Payel Gupta, MD, is the Director of Clinical Operations for Nyaya Health.

In the beginning, all organizations start by haphazardly getting medications and supplies to survive and take care of patients.  Since the arrival of Nyaya Health’s Country Director Gregory Karelas, we are fortunate to have put together our first procurement committee.  Having a more organized system of procurement will help us save money, time, and will reduce the amount of expired medications and reagents that we would normally have to throw out! 

Kanchan Gautam and Saroj Adhikari, our laboratory technologists, finalize the procurement list for our new laboratory. 

Our procurement committee working hard to finalize the much needed pharmaceutical list.  

Payel Gupta, MD, is the Director of Clinical Operations for Nyaya Health.

Abortions are frequent here in Achham.  In an effort to improve contraceptive measures that are proven to work, Dr. Sarah Averbach taught our auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) how to properly insert copper intrauterine devices (IUDs) immediately after delivery.   

Agya Poudyal (our Community Health Director) helps translate Dr. Averbach’s lecture.

Payel Gupta, MD, is the Director of Clinical Operations for Nyaya Health.

Mortality from postpartum hemorrhage is high in Nepal.  As such, Dr. Sarah Averbach, a 3^rd year OBGYN resident from Harvard University, gave a lecture on the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage.  In order to make things easier, she also put together a kit with all the necessary medications, supplies and appropriate doses for staff to use in cases of postpartum hemorrhage.  

Mark Arnoldy is the Executive Director of Nyaya Health.

Thanks to communities of support via One Day’s Wages, Nyaya Health has completed funding to build Far-Western Nepal’s first microbiology laboratory. Learn more here.

Payel Gupta, MD, is the Director of Clinical Operations for Nyaya Health.

New whiteboards and and a calendar have arrived at Bayalpata Hospital. The ER procedure room whiteboard will be used when we give lectures for staff on different health topics.  The ER hallway whiteboard will be used as a calendar for important meetings and lectures for staff.

Greg Karelas, Chanakya and Netraj Kunwar putting up our new whiteboards.

Dr. Sarah Averbach giving a lecture on post-partum hemorrhage.

Dr. Payel Gupta using our new calendar.

Payel Gupta, MD, is the Director of Clinical Operations for Nyaya Health.

Our very sick—but very cute—4-year-old patient Jagat was diagnosed with Kala azar (Leishmaniasis) and was urgently transferred to Kathmandu for further treatment at 3am on Monday, April 9th.  Our ambulance driver, Dili, took the patient to the airport in Dhangari and made sure that our patient and his family made it safely onto the plane.  We are very thankful to the kind donation of two free tickets from Achham to Kathmandu by Budha Airlines. 

The family and patient were greeted by Mr. Pradip Bagale, a Nyaya Health staff member.  He was then taken to Teku Infectious Disease Hospital in Kathmandu.  There, they felt that he would be better managed at the Kanti Bal Children’s Hospital in Kathmandu.  Our patient, his family and Pradipji are all there now.

We will keep everyone posted on what happens with Jagat.

Jagat the night before his departure

Mom, uncle and Jagat the night before their departure.  We had a long conversation about who they would meet and what would happen once they reach Kathmandu.  Mom was initially nervous about traveling alone, but thankfully we were able to get two adult tickets from Budha Airlines so mother and uncle were able to go together. 

Payel Gupta, MD, is the Director of Clinical Operations for Nyaya Health.

On April 4, 2012 we had two representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) conduct an index on safety practices and safe waste management.  It comes at a perfect time for us as we start figuring out our waste management procedures here at Bayalpata Hospital.  They will be back to give us advice on how we can improve and to deliver a report of how our hospital compares to others in Nepal. 

Rachana Shrestha and Bina Maharjan, WHO representatives