Kadam: Quest for Global Health Innovation in Nepal

Description

Purpose of Writing This Book
Most people focus on their personal and family lives, while some consider contributing to their communities. Moreover, others aim to focus on a global scale. Everyone is right. After completing medical school in 2008, I wanted to make an impact on the health and well-being of disadvantaged people in rural and resource-poor communities in Nepal. My ideas started to take a more meaningful shape in 2010 after I started my Master of Public Health (MPH) with a Global Health major in the United States.
While embarking on the journey of global health work in Nepal from New York City, I faced some challenges in creating a dedicated team of volunteers to run the organization. Similarly, the enormous challenges of establishing a non-profit organization in both the United States and Nepal provided me with some important insights.
More importantly, my first-hand experience of establishing innovative community-based health interventions to improve the health of children and other vulnerable populations in rural Nepal was both breathtaking and precious. I felt excitement, frustration, anger, joy, and a sense of fulfilment while leading numerous humanitarian projects in Nepal starting in 2012. Similarly, leading humanitarian initiatives during the mega earthquake in Nepal in 2015 and during COVID-19 in 2020–2021 brought me closer to the suffering of people. Witnessing the sense of responsibility among hundreds of my friends and colleagues to contribute back to Nepal motivated me to contribute more to the field of global health in Nepal.
The enthusiastic support from my friends and family while establishing many health centers, schools, and family houses in Nepal taught me humility. Likewise, the enormous support from many health professionals in running health centers and using innovative techniques to provide free healthcare to thousands of people in Nepal every year, while I was working full-time in Boston, strengthened my sense of humility. Going through the challenges of balancing time for family and growing children, while working as a full-time physician in the United States and pursuing my passion for global health work in Nepal, was both frustrating and fulfilling.
I am not the only person engaged in passionate global health work, nor have I contributed the most in the field of global healthcare in Nepal. The experiences described in this book are not solely my contribution but a cumulative effort of numerous volunteers, members, and leaders of Health Foundation Nepal and the Nepal Institute of Mental Health. By writing this book, I wanted to share a few important lessons I have learned, which may be useful for people interested in global health work.
First, this book will provide insights into the struggles of establishing a new non-profit organization in the United States. Second, it will outline the challenges and opportunities of starting community-based healthcare interventions in rural communities. Third, my first-hand experiences in designing projects, raising funds, building teams, and implementing innovative, low-cost projects may be helpful for global health enthusiasts. Fourth, the book offers perspectives on successfully launching some of the most challenging initiatives in remote communities of Nepal. Fifth, readers may find that translating global health and humanitarian ideas into action can be challenging but certainly feasible.
This is my first published book, and I may not have done full justice to its title. However, I am hopeful that each reader will find something to reflect upon in these pages and will gain insights into the challenges and opportunities in the field of global health. I am grateful to everyone who reads this book. Your honest feedback will be invaluable for improving my next work.