October 20, 2006

Update on Maternity Wing Construction

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so below is a picture taken several days ago of the construction of the new maternity wing. The work is proceding close to the original schedule. If that continues, construction will be finished by the end of 2007.

October 10, 2006

Patan Hospital Pediatrician Receives Advanced Training

Dr. Shrijana Shrestha, a pediatrician at Patan Hospital, spent four weeks in September at Childrens' Hospital in Denver for advanced training in pediatric rheumatology, pediatric nephrology and neonatology. Seven professors from the University of Colorado Medical School participated in the program. FOPH supporters made all of the arrangements and FOPH paid for all of the costs of the trip. Dr. Shrestha learned a great deal; her visit also was educational for the people with whom she had contact. In Nepal even the best of medical care must take into account limited resources.

September 15, 2006

In August 2006 an Acuson probe and a replacement track ball were purchased with funds donated by the Nepal Scanner Fund of Marcellus and Central New York and FOPH. These were hand delivered by Cyndi Langworthy when she returned to Patan Hospital after her visit to Adams, New York.

May 4, 2006

Special Report on Nepal and Patan Hospital

Because of the extent of media coverage it received — three times more on CNN than at the time of the royal massacre — most of you are aware of the demonstrations in Nepal. These resulted in the King giving up the power he seized on February 1, 2005 and the restoration of parliamentary government. For those of us who have affection for the Nepali people, what has happened is encouraging. The people of Nepal have — at the risk of their lives — shown that they will not accept an authoritarian government, only a democracy.

Serious problems of governance remain. The government consists of the "old brigade" who mismanaged the country so badly that when the King first seized power the move was generally welcomed. We can only hope that the clear will of the people for the politicians to cooperate and to make peace with the Maoist rebels will result in that happening.

These events affected Patan Hospital. We have received a report that on the evening of April 19 it was announced that a 19-hour curfew was to be in place starting 2:00 a.m. the following morning. The authorities refused to allow curfew passes for ambulances or hospital vehicles used to transport staff to the hospital so the shift that was on duty at that time ended up working three consecutive shifts. Throughout the period of the disturbances the hospital staff performed with great diligence under difficult conditions.

You may have seen a lengthy article in the New York Times about how casualties in Kathmandu were being taken to Model Hospital. This is a private hospital in the center of the city which was close to where most of the violence by the army occurred -- and this is why they were taken there. However, Model was unable to cope with the load so during periods when the curfew was lifted many of the casualties were taken to other hospitals. Patan Hospital receive almost 100 during this period, most of whom were treated in the Emergency Department and discharged from there. It appears that six required in-patient treatment for up to a week.

All treatment administered to demonstration casualties was given free. Considerable money was collected from the crowds for this purpose and Patan Hospital will receive part of that money for the services rendered.

February 14, 2006

FOPH DIRECTORS VISIT PATAN HOSPITAL:

FOPH Directors Jim Hecht and Bob Shields spent four busy days at the end of November and the beginning of December visiting Patan Hospital to get a better picture of how FOPH can assist the hospital in its mission. They were accompanied in these visits by Jim's wife, Amy, who before her retirement was the Dean of the College of Health Professions at Temple University. Here is a summary of their report.

This is a time of transition for Patan Hospital. After eight momentous years as Medical Director, during which there was great growth in the hospital's capabilities, Dr. Mark Zimmerman is leaving to become Director of the new Nick Simons Institute (NSI) in Kathmandu. This new organization will receive $10 million over the next five years for a program to improve health care in the rural areas of Nepal, largely through training programs. Mark and the Simons (the donors for the new maternity wing at Patan) expect that Patan Hospital will play a key role in this work and Mark will continue as a Board Member and Vice President of FOPH. A new Medical Director will not be chosen until after the Nepali government approves a new Constitution for the Hospital which probably will make it an independent entity. In the meantime, Dr. Kundu Yangzom serves as the Acting Medical Director. She is the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Patan and is a very able physician and administrator.

Excellent progress is being made on the new 140-bed maternity wing which will increase the in-patient capacity of the hospital by almost 50 percent. Seven qualified contractors bid for the major construction contract. To qualify a bidder had to get at least 80 out of a possible 100 on a rating scale established by JSA, the Nepali architects working on the project. The final decision was easy since the lowest bid was submitted by the contractor who was rated the highest with a score of 99. The contract with Tundi Construction was signed on November 23, several weeks earlier than in the original schedule.

Thanks to the generosity of the Simons, the project has grown in scope and the cost will be slightly above $2 million. The new wing will consist of an underground parking facility for cars and motorcycles which is badly needed and for which there is no land available, plus a four story building. The ground floor will consist of the replacement of facilities which have to be demolished to make way for the new wing: birthing center, kitchen, canteen and an expanded retail area which will bring income to the hospital. The first and second floors will be the new maternity facilities including two new operating theaters. The latter will be a great help to the hospital since, once they are equipped (and equipping these are not part of the Simons donation), there will be sufficient capacity for surgery in the hospital and non-emergency operations will be able to be done promptly instead of the present three-month waiting period. Finally, there will be a third floor, an expansion of scope in the project, which will be for educational purposes and will include a 150-seat auditorium as well as other meeting rooms and a library.

While the new wing will not include the amenities of an American hospital, it is being designed so that it will be the best facility of its type in Nepal for many years to come. The design was coordinated by a planning committee which held over 50 meetings prior to the signing of the contruction contract. This committee consisted of the Medical Director, the Chief of Obstetrics/Gynecology, the Chief of Pediatrics, the Head of Maintenance and his deputy, the Nursing Director, the Administrative Officer for the Hospital, a part-time coordinator for the project and representatives of the local architects. To give a picture of what type of decisions are being made, one involved the ratio of beds to toilets. Originally JSA designed this ratio to be six to one, the current Indian standard. However, OZ Architecture, the American firm that has worked with JSA on the design to bring in a broader background of hospital design experience, suggested four to one, still twice that of the practice in U.S. hospitals where the need for toilets is less than in Nepal since in Nepal maternity patients have a larger number of visitors than in the U.S. The committee decided therefore to increase the number of toilets and left it to JSA as to how close to approach the level of four since there were other design considerations.

Thanks to the assistance Patan Hospital has received, the Radiology Department is well equipped with ultrasound machines. However, there still is a need for two new probes. The effort here has been spearheaded by Bob Shields with significant help from the Marcellus United Methodist Church and others in the Syracuse area. Patan now has five ultrasound machines and has expanded the ultrasound offices to take care of the increased number of patients. The favorite machine is an ATL (Philips) which was sent in 2004 after purchase with money raised in the Syracuse area -- and this machine includes a cardiac probe which is being used by a cardiologist for heart scans. As a result of equipment Patan already had and its use of ultrasound technology, Patan was designated the official training center for all of Nepal under an international program administered through Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. One benefit of this designation was the donation of two ultrasound machines which were received the end of 2004. The training consists of courses put together by Jefferson for which Patan charges about $700 (usually paid for by the trainee's organization) of which 10 percent goes to Jefferson. The remainder stays with Patan and provides a good profit over the cost of giving the course. This can then be used for charity care.

Meetings were held with almost all Chiefs of services to get a feel for the needs of their units. These ranged from toothbrushes for the dental department to give away to some of the 80 to 100 people seen daily by 3.5 dentists to many needs for sophisticated equipment.

Low salaries, while competitive with other hospitals in the Kathmandu area, are a serious problem. For example, a department chief gets paid only about $300 a month. Patan is solving the problem of keeping most of its best doctors by allowing them to treat private patients in the hours that they are not working and is moving to allow this to be done in hospital facilities as well as in their own offices. Although charges for private patients are low compared to the U.S., this practice accounts for much of these doctors' income.

There is a serious problem of keeping senior nurses. In this case the problem is emigration. Fluent in English, nurses can go to English speaking countries such as the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia and earn a great deal more money. The nursing staff at Patan of 220 includes only 12 with B.S. degrees. Starting nurses earn about $142; however, a senior nurse earns only about $171 a month. Indira Shrestha, the Assistant Director of Nursing, felt that if the salaries of senior nurses were increased 50 to 60 percent it would be much easier to retain them.

Finally, this report would not be complete if mention were not made of the gratitude shown by all the people with whom we talked for the help that has been given by Friends of Patan Hospital.

FOPH RECEIVES MOVING LETTER:

Recently we received a very generous contribution from Peter Rollston of Annerley, Australia, along with a letter which told how in 1995 he was traveling in Nepal with his partner, a young woman who had just graduated from University, when she became very ill. Eventually they came to Patan Hospital where she was diagnosed with Hepatitis E, slipped into a coma and never recovered. They were evacuated to Sydney where she died 16 days after she had come to Patan. In his letter, which was inspiring and reassuring to those of us who volunteer time on behalf of the hospital, Mr. Rollston wrote:

"One of the things that sustained me through this very difficult time was the professional care provided by all the staff at Patan Hospital. Prior to being admitted to Patan, we had visited the Pokhora Hospital where the conditions left us in despair, prompted us to rush back to Kathmandu and make plans to leave Nepal for Australia as quickly as possible. When Jennie's condition rapidly deteriorated, the locals advised us that the only place for us was Patan. This was good advice.

"Key things that sustained me as a carer at Patan were having a private room throughout, the bedside manner of Dr. Zimmerman and nursing staff, and being given access to phone to contact relatives, friends and organize the medical evacuation."

December 2, 2005

Four probes were delivered to the Ultrasound Department during a visit to Patan Hospital by Bob Shields and Jim and Amy Hecht. They were put right to use on the new ATL machine that was delivered previously. Two more probes are still needed. The new heart probes are being used to good advantage and have added a whole new capability to the department.

November 1, 2005

DENVER FUNDRAISER NETS ALMOST $12,000

FOPH supporters in Denver, Colorado held a fundraising event on October 5 which was attended by 165 people who paid $35 and up a person. The event, which was held in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, consisted of a reception, an illustrated talk by Dr. Thomas Hornbein and -- for those paying $100 or more -- a buffet dinner. With all bills paid the event has raised almost $12,000, and some people who did not come may still join the 25 who made donations even though they were unable to attend.

Tom Hornbein first achieved fame in 1963 when he and Willi Unsoeld made the first ascent of Mount Everest by the West Ridge -- a route so dangerous that since then more climbers have died trying to reach the summit than have succeeded. Hornbein and Unsoeld were part of the "Americans on Everest" expedition that, on the same day, placed two other Americans at the summit using the conventional route, and which previously had Jim Whittaker (accompanied by Sherpa Nawang Gombu) become the first American ever to climb the world's highest mountain. Since then Dr. Hornbein has gone on to become a world-famous physician for his research on the effects of altitude on the human body at the University of Washington Medical School. Tom thrilled the group with his illustrated talk of his climb, his reflections on how mountaineering had influenced his life, and some philosophical thoughts on risk and heroes. He also told how for many years he has supported a health program in Ladakh, India (which is in the Himalayas) and how he now was glad to make a contribution to Patan Hospital in Nepal.

June 14, 2005

MATERNITY WING CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN SOON

The design of the new maternity wing is nearing completion and construction related to the project will begin soon.

Thanks to the willingness of the donors, Jim and Marilyn Simons of New York, the scope of the project has been increased to include a badly needed underground parking facility, modernization of some existing facilities and the ability at some time in the future to add an education wing. The estimated cost of the project now is $1.9 million. It will increase the number of beds in the hospital by almost 50 percent to about 450.

The new facility not only represents a great contribution by FOPH but also a challenge for the future. With the ability to care for more patients, Patan will need more FOPH support if it is to continue to provide care for all who come regardless of ability to pay.

June 13, 2005

AFFILIATED TRAINING CENTER OF JUREI

The Patan Ultrasound Department was designated as an affiliated training center of the internationally acclaimed Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (JUREI) of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Recently JUREI sent over two additional XP-128s. Also an ultrasound training curriculum has been developed for the Ultrasound Department. All this was made possible by the previous gifts of two ultrasound scanners and probes.

December 21, 2004

Recent Expenditures by FOPH:

During the 4th Quarter FOPH support for Patan Hospital has included the following:

(1) Another Project C.U.R.E. shipment. For an expenditure of $8,500, the hospital will receive over $300,000 of medical supplies and equipment. Also included in the 40-foot shipping container were 5 cartons of business books donated to the Library at the Kathmandu University School of Management by employees of DexMedia, a Denver-based company which publishes the yellow pages and telephone directories for 14 states. The Directors of FOPH have approved using a minute portion of shipping containers to assist the School of Management because Patan Hospital will be helped by an improved economy in Nepal brought about by well-trained Nepali business managers.

(2) Purchase for $2,800 of needed welding equipment in the U.S. of a quality not available in Nepal. This equipment was sent to Kathmandu in the Project C.U.R.E. container.

(3) Purchase in Nepal for $6,000 of a Urocam and accessories. This allows surgeons to take stones out of a patient's ureter without doing open surgery.

(4) Purchase in Nepal for $8,000 of a deep-well pump to replace one that recently burned out. This provides protection against the erratic supply of water provided by Kathmandu.

(5) Two new ultrasound scanners donated by GE to Assist International, a charity organization. We were able to get these machines because Patan Hospital has been designated as the training center for all of Nepal. FOPH paid $2,000 for refurbishing these machines for use in Nepal and Bob Shields, an FOPH Director, arranged with UMCOR, a Methodist relief organization, to pay for shipment by air to Kathmandu.

October 1, 2004

Update on New Maternity Wing

Design has started on the 150-bed addition to Patan Hospital for the new maternity wing.

Because of the scope of this project, it has been decided that an American architect with experience designing hospitals should be part of the design team and have responsibility for the schematic design. FOPH played an important role in finding the architect who has been hired: Stephen Brooks. A principal in the large Denver firm of OZ, Mr. Brooks has been the architect for several hospitals including one built in suburban Denver 12 years ago at a cost of $25 million. Mr. Brooks brings to this assignment another advantage: he has worked in developing countries. He will visit Kathmandu soon for an on-site inspection and to hold meetings with those concerned with the maternity wing project in late October.

In the meantime, a Maternity Wing Building Committee has been holding regular meetings in Kathmandu to provide planning and coordination for the project. This committee includes Dr. Mark Zimmerman, the Medical Director, the Heads of Ob/Gyn and Pediatric Divisions and top Patan Hospital managers from Administration and Maintenance. Excellent minutes from each meeting are keeping us informed.

FOPH Supports Staff Scholarships:

FOPH's latest support for Patan Hospital has consisted of a $5,000 check for scholarships to longtime employees of Patan Hospital to upgrade their skills. This represents FOPH's first investment in people as opposed to facilities -- but it is one which the Board of Directors views as equally important.

April 28, 2004

Major Gift Will Enable Construction of a New Maternity Ward

Thanks to the generosity of Jim and Marilyn Simons of New York, design has started on adding a 120 to 140 bed addition to Patan Hospital for a new maternity wing. If all goes well, the Simons will fund the entire cost.

Benefit Dinner in Denver Raises Over $12,000

One hundred and twenty people attended a dinner on March 19 to benefit Patan Hospital; in addition, 40 others who were unable to attend the dinner made contributions. As a result, FOPH raised $12,000 for future needs.

At the dinner, Dr. Mark Zimmerman, the Medical Director of Patan Hospital and a Board Member of FOPH, gave a talk and answered questions. In addition to discussing the hospital including its role in training medical personnel, he brought home how greatly Patan affects the lives of patients, some of whom spend several days being transported from their villages to the hospital.

FOPH Board Holds First In-Person Meeting

On March 20, FOPH held its first in-person board meeting at the home of Chairman Jim Hecht. By taking advantage of Dr. Zimmerman speaking in Denver and the fact that three members of the Board live in the Denver area, seven of nine members of the Board were able to attend. Board members from New York, Ohio and Alabama attended.

One accomplishment of the Board meeting was that members got to know each other. This will facilitate the normal way of doing Board business: by email.

The Board meeting started at 9:00 a.m. and went until 7:30 p.m. (through most of dinner) -- with a two-hour break for lunch to hear Dr. Zimmerman give a talk on Nepal to the Denver World Affairs Council. The Board meeting included a detailed review of the financial status of the hospital. Last year the operating budget of Patan was about $2.3 million and, despite the fact that this was the first year without a direct subsidy from United Mission to Nepal, the budget was balanced. The medical supplies furnished without any cost to the hospital by the partnership between FOPH and Project C.U.R.E. were important in reducing operating costs and making this possible.

Capital needs of the hospital were reviewed and those being given priority for near-term FOPH funding are listed under "Needs" on the website. Also listed is the need for more money for scholarships to provide training for staff.

A giant new initiative under consideration by the hospital is to open a medical school which would use Patan for training — with emphasis on preparing medical personnel to provide health care in the rural areas as well as urban areas. New initiatives for FOPH which were discussed were (1) to have a short video which could assist fundraising efforts; and (2) to have programs for people from the U.S. who go to Nepal to experience the country in order to interest them in supporting FOPH.

December 1, 2003

FOPH Chairman Hecht visits Patan Hospital

My wife, Amy, and I visited Kathmandu from November 9 until November 21. We made 7 visits to Patan Hospital for periods up to five hours touring facilities, meeting with staff and discussing future plans for the hospital and how Friends of Patan Hospital (FOPH) can help.

My most vivid memory of Patan Hospital from our trip to Kathmandu in 2000 -- many people streaming in and out of the hospital -- was reinforced during our visit. Over a thousand people are treated at the hospital every day and most come with one or more family members. Thus, particularly in the morning, there is a continuous stream of people coming through the front door.

There have been some important improvements in facilities during the past three years. The new 60-bed pediatric wing which was completed in 2001 is attractive and functional reflecting smart design -- an amazing structure for one costing only $350,000. More recently, the emergency room was enlarged and improved thanks to a grant from the German government. As we were shown around, whoever was taking us would constantly point out items received from Project C.U.R.E. shipments paid for by FOPH. The C-arm X-ray machine they just received has been set up and is nearly completely functional -- a wonderful addition to the hospital. Lesser items are all over. "That bed came from Project C.U.R.E." was something we heard many times. Other items we saw in use which were mentioned as coming from CURE were an incubator and a dental chair. The many medical supplies sent make an important contribution in decreasing operating expenses.

Two contributions made by FOPH which did not come through Project C.U.R.E. were shown to us. The new ultrasound machine, which was purchased with money raised in the Syracuse, NY area under the leadership of FOPH Director Bob Shields, is in constant use. And the new telephone system, which was purchased for $12,000 from other FOPH funds, is making an enormous difference. The breakdowns in the old telephone system were only one problem; the old system allowed only ten calls in the entire hospital at any one time. The new system has no limit.

In terms of needed facilities, a top priority for the hospital is to build a new maternity ward which would have 120 beds. The popularity of Patan has placed tremendous stress on this function of the hospital. Not only have extra beds been placed in the wards for the maternity area, but beds now line the hallways and also are in rooms originally built for storage. The cost of a new wing for maternity will be over $500,000. There is an excellent chance that a single American donor will make a contribution for this purpose; I will keep you informed on this.

One of the many admirable things about Patan Hospital is the establishment of a multi-tier system of pricing which is working well. No one who comes to Patan is turned away; the charge for care is minute compared to an American hospital and if people cannot afford even this amount -- and many cannot -- they receive equal treatment as charity patients. However, in order to move the hospital closer to being self-sustaining, several years ago a Private Clinic was set up which charges higher rates for those who can afford to pay. Patients who go to the Private Clinic do not get better medical care, but they are given priority in getting treatment and the treatment area is nicer. The Private Clinic now accounts for about 10 percent of Patan's outpatient revenue and the profit from this operation helps pay for charity cases. Parallel to this program, there now is a Private Ward where there are 18 single rooms and 12 double rooms.

Training health professionals who will serve throughout Nepal is an important function of Patan -- much more so than I appreciated before my visit. Thus, while some surgical procedures are carried out using the most modern methods of anesthesia, when appropriate ether is used. The reason: in most of Nepal this is the only way a patient can be anesthetized so those who are going to give health care in the regions where most Nepalis live must be trained in this old-fashioned method.

Because of the type of hospital it is, Patan may become the teaching hospital of what would be the best medical school in Nepal. At present, the Kathmandu University Medical School (KUMS), which was established about ten years ago, is the best. However, several months ago the Director of KUMS and a number of key professors resigned because the University administration chose as a teaching hospital a private for-profit hospital near the University rather than Patan Hospital. The former Director, Dr. Arjun Karki, is now on the staff of Patan Hospital and he and his colleagues are working to establish a new medical school which would use Patan as its teaching hospital. We spent two hours with Arjun, one afternoon and later had breakfast with him and the recently retired Dean of an American medical school who was visiting him. Dr. Karki, who spent six years as a resident in three American hospitals, wants to head a medical school which not only trains doctors well but instills in them the desire to spend part of their time meeting the unmet needs of the rural population -- and which trains them to be effective in that difficult task.

I think what most distinguishes Patan Hospital is the incredible use of the limited resources they have. For example, Patan uses ultrasound scanning in very sophisticated ways to avoid the high cost of more expensive equipment such as CAT scanners and MRI machines. These very expensive diagnostic tools are not even on Patan's current wish list. There are several of each elsewhere in Kathmandu; when there is a real need for such a test, the patient is transported to one of the hospitals that has one. This has worked satisfactorily. Much thought is given to establishing priorities for new equipment and new facilities that will do the most for the money available -- and the resulting judgments made by the staff have been very sound.

One of the many people with whom we talked was a young American doctor who was spending two months working in the emergency room where over 100 patients are treated each day. She was there as part of a program with Yale University which sends one resident physician every two months to work at Patan. This young woman, a graduate of Harvard who was almost finished with her tour in Nepal, observed that the emergency room at Patan could not be compared in quality to that of a leading U.S. hospital, but until she came to Nepal she did not believe that a developing country could have such a good emergency room.

A very serious problem facing Patan is that UMN (United Mission to Nepal) is completely revamping its programs and will be withdrawing all financial support from Patan and two other hospitals over the next few years. Amy and I believe this is a big mistake, but that is what will happen. Still unresolved is the timetable for withdrawal and how the hospitals will be administered in the future. Many options are being discussed. Whatever happens, FOPH will be needed more than ever.

October 21, 2003

New Scanner Delivered at Patan Hospital

News from Dr. Mark Zimmerman relative to the HDI 3000 Ultrasound Scanner:

"On October 16 the wooden crate finally pulled into Patan Hospital. It had been craned onto the back of our flat-bed truck. Unfortunately our maintenance crew could not get the crate off, so the truck was driven over to a place where we have a laundry winch--a grand scene. We have word from Cindy (Cynthia Langworthy from Adams, NY) that the machine has been installed in ultrasound, checked out by our biomedical maintenance dept and it is marvelous. She is very pleased......"

As reported in the August Connections, the next need is for funds for periodic maintentance. The original scanner has never been maintained and, now that the new one is in place, the original Acuson should be sent to Singapore for maintenance. About $9000 more is needed for this purpose and for maintaining the new HDI 3000.

Thanks to all the churches and individuals who helped make this dream come true for Patan Hospital. To contribute to the maintenance phase, please send contributions to the Marcellus United Methodist Church, 1 Slocombe Avenue, Marcellus, NY 13108, payable to the MUMC Nepal Scanner Fund.

October 14, 2003

HDI 3000 Scanner Is In Kathmandu

The Patan Hospital staff requested an ATL HDI 3000 High Definition Imaging Ultrasound System, which uses later technology and includes the all important echo cardiology probe plus four other probes and software that Patan needs. This second scanner was shipped from Sonora Medical Systems on 31 August 2003 and is now in customs at the Kathmandu airport. It should be in the hospital very soon, if it is not there now. UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, paid for the shipping giving us extra funds that we can use for other support of the ultrasound radiology group.

The original XP128 Ultrasound Scanner does 1000 scans a month and, even with its malfunction, has been invaluable to the mission. However, attempts to fix the display malfunction failed. Once the new scanner is in place and working, the XP128 should be shipped to Singapore for maintenance when we have sufficient funds.

Remember to tell the other Friends of Patan Hospital that there is still a need for additional funds to provide critical periodic maintenance for both machines.

August 26,2003

Our second shipment to Patan Hospital of medical supplies and equipment donated to Project C.U.R.E. is on its way to Kathmandu.

By paying the $7,500 cost of shipping, FOPH has been able to supply Patan Hospital with almost $500,000 of material, including large amounts of medical supplies donated by the manufacturers and donated used equipment in good working order. In the latter category is a Philips BV-25 C-arm X-ray which was given a value of $25,000 by the donor, but is equipment still sold by Philips and would cost $70,000 new. If the machine survives the trip, it will meet the high-priority need of being able to do contrast X-rays.

While almost all of the $500,000 shipment was donated through Project C.U.R.E., the shipment included about $5,000 of dental supplies and equipment which were donated to the "Saving Lives Worldwide Program" of the Rotary Club of Louisville, Kentucky and about $1,000 of new tools needed by Patan Hospital's Maintenance Department which are of a quality which cannot be obtained in Kathmandu. The latter were purchased with funds collected for that purpose by supporters in the Syracuse, New York area. It should be noted that our first Project C.U.R.E. shipment included six computers which were obtained by a Denver-area supporter who got them from her employer when they became available as a result of a computer system upgrade.

June 18

We have received a $5,000 contribution from Dr. Jay Packer, a pathologist who lives in Sierra Madre, California. In a cover letter he wrote: "In the spring of 1997, I had the opportunity to spend five weeks working as a pathologist at Patan Hospital... My short time at Patan was unforgettable. I'm very pleased that your organization has undertaken the worthy task of providing capital financial support to such a remarkable place."

New Scanner Ordered

An ATL HDI 3000 Scanner was ordered on June 18 from Sonora Corporation in Longmont, Colorado. Sufficient funds ($47,000) have been collected to place the order for this scanner which will include five probes including the much needed echo cardiology heart probe and software. About $23,000 more must be raised to provide for shipping and periodic maintenance. This scanner will take some of the load from the Acuson XP128 workhorse and will provide more capabilities and productivity from the Radiology staff. Sonora refurbishes and rebuilds high end scanners and provided the Acuson now in Patan Hospital. Marcellus United Methodist Church in New York is spearheading the drive.

www.4sonora.com

www.marcellusumc.org

April 20

Matching Gifts Received

Friends of Patan Hospital (FOPH) received its first matching grant from a corporation in April. Many corporations match a contribution by an employee to a 501(c)(3) charitable operation such as FOPH. In this case the employee¡¯s gift was $2500 that was matched by the employer, PepsiCo, to make a total gift of $5000. You might check with your company to see if it has matching contributions.

March 30

Patan Hospital Gains JUREI Support

Excitement reigned when the Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (JUREI) of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia chose Patan Hospital as an affiliated teaching center. Under this program JUREI provides, at no charge, training and technical expertise to hospitals in third world and poor countries in applications of ultrasound. A team of instructors will come from Philadelphia to train staff at Katmandu and a team from Katmandu will go to Philadelphia for training. This significant arrangement should benefit many patients of Patan Hospital. It would have not been possible if the hospital did not have the Acuson XP128 that was delivered in February 2000.

www.jeffersonhospital.org/jurei/home

March 5

Fundraising Dinner In Denver A Success.

Over 120 people attended a fundraising dinner for FOPH in Denver on February 27.

In order to get the story of Patan Hospital before as many people as possible, the cost of the dinner was only $80, but half of those attending were patrons who gave $125 or more. The result: after all the costs associated with the dinner were paid about $10,000 was raised for needs of the hospital. This included contributions from about 30 people who did not attend the dinner.

The success of the dinner was largely due to recruitment of a Dinner Committee of 32 people and their spouses which included many people well known in the community. These included former Governors Dick Lamm and Roy Romer, both of whom held office for 12 years. Other members of the Dinner Committee included 11 doctors and 3 of Denver's more prominent lawyers. Everyone agreed that there should be another event next year -- and now that FOPH is better known we should do better.