Kathmandu, August 6

Khendu Tamang, 7, of Sindhupalchowk who has had her left leg amputated was happy to leave National Trauma Centre on Thursday.

The daughter to Maya Tamang, 30, and Mangle Dong Tamang, 35, was buried under the rubble of a collapsed house in Jorpati when the earthquake shook Nepal on April 25.

She was admitted to the Trauma Centre for treatment of injured limbs. She had to undergo amputation of her left leg during treatment.

“My daughter had been admitted to the hospital after the earthquake and missed her education. She was studying in grade 1,” said Maya.

Khendu said she missed her friends, village, home and relatives, but was happy to have made new friends in the hospital.

She became friends with quake victim Nirmala Pariyar, 7, of Okhaldhunga who had her right leg amputated. “It has been almost three months since we have become friends. We play together,” said Pariyar.

But Hun Devi Pariyar, 30, mother of Nirmala, said her daughter often asks her about the lost leg and this makes her sad. “I say it has been kept by the doctors and will be rejoined some day in future,” Hun Devi said, adding that the child does not seem to be bothered about her lost leg, but will be tormented by the amputation when she grows up.

Today. these two good friends are being taken to the Nepal Healthcare Equipment Development Foundation (NHEDF).

Nilam Maharjan, a senior staff at the Trauma Centre, said these children will be given physiotherapy at  NHEDF with the help of Handicap International. “They will be rehabilitated and taught some physical exercises to strengthen their limbs so that they will be able to walk,” Maharjan said. About 74 critically injured quake victims suffered lifelong disability, according to Trauma Centre. Among them, only seven people are still to be discharged.

Quake victim Nirmala Jayri, 22, of Baitadi, one of the seven remaining patients at the Trauma Centre, is still undergoing treatment for spinal injuries. She cannot stand, walk or move properly due to severe pain caused by the injury. She has been confined to the hospital bed. “The remaining seven quake victims must remain at the hospital for further treatment of spine injury, operation, amputation and surgery,” Maharjan added.

Kumar Nepali, 49, of Trishuli has recovered from head injury but cannot be discharged.“I want to be discharged, but no family members have come to receive me yet,” he said.

Maharjan informed that the victims cannot be discharged if there are no relatives or family members to receive them.