Kathmandu, June 9

A team of Rotarians has donated more than US $100,000 worth of medical equipment to Nepal Cleft and Burn Centre at Kirtipur Hospital.

The official handover took place last week amidst a function, which was attended by Rotarians from Nepal and Italy. The equipment will help provide improved treatment to more than 4,600 patients every year, read a press release issued by Rotary Club of Patan.

“Acute burn care is very expensive,” said Shankar Man Rai, reconstructive plastic surgeon and director at Kirtipur Hospital. “The supplies and equipment donated by Rotary will help decrease the cost of medical care for burn patients in Nepal.” Kirtipur Hospital is the only facility in the country that offers intensive care for burn patients.

According to the World Health Organisation, burns are the second-most common injury in rural Nepal, accounting for five per cent of disabilities. The Ministry of Health reports that close to 56,000 people sustain burn injuries every year. Of them, 2,100 die of their wounds.

In January, the Rotary Club of Patan, Nepal, in partnership with several Rotary clubs, District 2072, individual donors from Italy and the Rotary Foundation, secured a Rotary Global Grant amounting to US $ 101,323.

The fund was used to purchase intensive and postoperative care equipment, including patient monitors, ventilators and several instruments for cutting and preparing skin grafts.

“Being able to monitor patients accurately can make the difference between life and death,” said Paolo Morselli, a renowned plastic surgeon and president of Interethnos Interplast Italy, Paolo Morselli.

A 10-person delegation from Italy visited the newly installed facilities and met with patients at Kirtipur Hospital, in advance of the official handover on 2 June 2016.

“This was a truly international project, but just the first step towards helping patients at Kirtipur Hospital,” said journalist and president of the Rotary Club of Bologna, Fabio Raffaelli, who led the Italian delegation.

“The facilities are comparable in quality to those found in most important European centers,” added Morselli. The hospital is run by not-for-profit organisation Public Health Concern Trust Nepal.