SIDDHI MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
INTERN PLACEMENT
Name of the placement:
'Siddhi Memorial Hospital & Siddhi Shaligram Senior Citizens, home under the managment of Siddhi Memorial Foundation, Bhaktapur, Nepal'.
Type of placement:
Siddhi Memorial Hospital 50 bedded Hospital for women & children & Siddhi Shaligram Senior Citizens' home 60 bedded elderly care home with 24 hours nursing unit.
With pleasure we are happy to welcome you as volunteers/ interns to Siddhi Memorial Foundation. This letter is an introduction to the hospital and its employees, the Senior Citizens Home and brief information about Bhaktapur city. Hopeful it will help to make you accustomed to some of theNepal’s culture, lifestyle and give you some guidelines about the do’s and don’ts in Nepal.
An Overview of Siddhi Memorial Foundation
In lasting memory of Siddhi Sundar Dhaubhadel, who died in a road accident at the age of four and a half on the 8th of October 1993, parents of Siddhi Mr. Shyam S. Dhaubhadel and Mrs. Ranjana Dhaubhadel founded the Siddhi Memorial Health Service Center (SMHSC) on the 28th of October 1993 in Barahisthan, Bhaktapur Municipality-14. This non-governmental and non-profit clinic provided primary health care services to women and children in need under the guiding principle of “Service to Humanity”. Today there is still an ongoing Saturday morning clinic held at the original location of the foundation (SMHSC) which offers free consultations, immunization and family planning services.
The success of this clinic and its growing demands inspired Mr. and Mrs. Dhaubhadel to expand the range of health services offered, by establishing the Siddhi Memorial Hospital (SMH) for women and children. They made an initial commitment towards sponsorship by donating land property in Bhaktapur City at Bhimsensthan, Bhaktapur -7. The first component of the hospital, the out-patient department, opened in 1997, providing consultations and primary care for underprivileged women and children. The hospital has now grown to include a pediatric ward, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, a maternity ward, a laboratory facility, x-ray and ultrasound imaging technology, family planning and dental services, and a gynaecological/obstetrics operation theater. Today it continues to provide accessible and affordable, quality healthcare to community members. The medical physicians see more than 30,000 consultations per year in the out-patient department and over 10,000 cases per year in the emergency room.
Furthering the goal of caring for human life from childhood to old age, the founders decided to merge the SMHSC into the Siddhi Memorial Foundation (SMF) in 2003 with the objective of promoting five core values: health, old age, education, sports and arts, and culture. In 2005, the founders again expanded the organization by opening Siddhi Shaligram Senior Citizens' Home (SSSCH), a home away from home for senior citizens. The mission of SSSCH is to help elderly people, who do not have family members to take care of them, to live peaceful, fulfilling and happy lives. SSSCH aims to offer support and services to all elderly persons, irrespective of status, wealth, caste, religion, relationship, gender or ethnicity. SSSCH offers residential care to 40 elders and day care facilities to 130 elders per day.
In 2017, the foundation has also partnered with the Meg Children’s trust to found the Siddhi and Meg Children’s Home on the outskirts of Bhaktapur. The children’s home currently has beds for 20 children and provides for their education as well as pastoral care.
The foundation also promotes education for children of the community by sponsoring children’sschooling. It also organizes every Saturday morning classes on education in human values and community principles for 50 children to supplement their formal school curriculum. The aim is to provide a supportive and amusing environment for these children thereby helping them develop their good character and social behavior. In addition, every year the foundation finances schooling for underprivileged children as well as training and higher education for medical and nursing students.
Describe the placement and the activities/vision:
The hospital caters its services towards women and children with lower socio-economic status, and provides essential medicine free of cost if the family is unable to pay. As a non-governmental, non-profit, charitable organization, it has won the confidence of its supporters from both the nation and foreign lands.
By October 2003, the hospital was upgraded to 25 beds providing emergency services to children, inpatient and outpatient services to children, and outpatient services to women. In April 2010 the hospital was granted the license from the department of health to increase the inpatient bed size from 25 to 50 beds. From 2012 hospital started Maternity Home, Neonate and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (NICU/PICU) and Operation Theatre. This is step has given right direction for the hospital, as this means that nursing and medical students can be placed at the hospital as part of their education. The Clinicians see more than 30,000 consultations per year in the Outpatient Clinics.
In 2016, Siddhi Memorial Foundation launched a new department, the Rehabilitation center for physically challenged people where patient are provided physiotherapy from trained and qualified physiotherapist at an affordable cost. More than 50% of the operating cost of the hospital is depend on international donations by the individuals and organization since its establishment.
Number of staff:
More than 170 staff members
Languages spoken among staff:
The national language in Nepal is Nepali which is also spoken among staff. Most of the clinical staff (doctors and nurses) can speak fluent English. If you want to be involved in clinical activities within your scope of practice, please do share about your intentions. Most of the patients speak either Nepali or Newari, so you are likely to need someone to translate if you wish to talk to a patient or family member; our nursing staffs experienced translators from both Nepali and Newari to English.
Is internet available at the placement?
Wifi is available all round clock
Contact person at placement for the volunteer:
Name: Sugam Dhaubhadel
Title: Admin Assistant
Phone: +977-9841916886
Email: sugamd1989@gmail.com
INTERN ACTIVITIES
Duration of Internship : From One Week to 3 months.
Volunteers can work/observe in the following areas of the 50 Beds Siddhi Memorial Hospital:
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Emergency department
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Pediatric Out patinets
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Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (NICU/ PICU)
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Gynecology/OBS IPD and Maternity Home
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Outpatients department Gynae/Obs
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Rehabilitation Center
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Laboratory
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Radiology (X-ray and USG)
