It was my great pleasure to volunteer my time and acupuncture skills at a medical clinic located in Namo Buddha Nepal. I spent a month there in the autumn of 2016 working with the clinic monks, medical doctor, volunteer nurse and an acupuncture assistant/translator. The clinic provides local villagers with free medical care and acupuncture three days a week, with approximately 30-40 patients receiving acupuncture per day.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia and lacking sanitation, clean water and nutritious food. These conditions make villagers especially vulnerable to illness. Access to healthcare is difficult and most villagers walked between 2-6 hours to receive treatment at the medical clinic.
My experience has left me even more grateful to be blessed with all that I have.
A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.
Two inspirational quotes about compassion and stewardship from Buddha. A Buddhist monastery operates the medical clinic, so I thought them most fitting.
Blessings,
Amy Grapel
Photos and Videos – Medical Clinic in Namo Buddha Nepal
The Clinic
The clinic opened in April 1995 to serve local villagers as well as the 30 monks attending school and Namo Buddha monastery. Since then, the community has grown dramatically.
The clinic now manages the healthcare of 3,000 active patients from the neighboring areas and more than 130 monks studying at the monastery, many of them from remote Himalayan villages.
While the previous clinic building was tiny, the new facility has greatly improved health care services with clean water, pharmacy, a spacious waiting room out of the weather, privacy for patient visits and rooms for difficult cases and an acupuncture clinic. Dedicated in early 2009, the new building provides rooms for the medical staff, a Medicine Buddha shrine room and visiting volunteer doctors and healthcare professionals.
Clinic Webpage: http://namobuddha.org/clinic.html
Acupuncture with Nepali villagers, monks and nuns
Amy's volunteer acupuncture trip to Nepal
Namo Buddha Clinic Video
Namo Buddha Clinic Video
Making incense at the Namo Buddha medical clinic
