On the 13th of August to the 18th August, I travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal on a volunteer medical trip with a team of two hand surgeons, two hand therapists and three theatre nurses. This project was organised by AUSNEP Australia in conjunction with the Orthopaedic Outreach team and we were based in the Kathmandu Trauma Hospital.
This trip was made possible by the generous contributions of donors though the charitable arm of the Australian Orthopeadic Association and other donations from independent contributors in the form of much needed medical equipment. The aim of AUSNEP is to provide a health link between Nepal and Australia and to provide surgery and health care to those who have no means to access this in Nepal. With this trip there was also the added focus to provide education and support to the health professional community.
It was a very busy week, treating the local population who had come not only from Kathmandu but surrounding remote and rural areas – especially for the opportunity to have specialist treatment for their hand injuries. It was a great opportunity to work alongside our Nepalese colleagues and to learn how they manage their patient populations with so little! In addition to this we also ran a course for local physiotherapists, teaching plastering and upskilling their splinting skills for different hand conditions. Finally we also had the opportunity to present a series of lectures to the surgical team on the importance of integrating hand therapists into their rehab team, demonstrating the invaluable contributions hand therapist make towards optimising patient outcomes.
Clancy Kemety
Physiotherapist
Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the AHTA
Certified Hand Therapist (USA)
