CTA: www.tibet.net
Tashi Delek & Welcome to Tibet.Net - the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.      |      Special features: Sino-Tibetan Dialogue; Worldwide Tibet Movement; Environment & Development Issues; DIIR Publications; TibetFlash; Press Releases; Statements; Announcements.      |      And links to official website in eight other languages.      |      Send your comments and suggestions to the Editor, Tibet.Net, at tneditor@gov.tibet.net      |      NOTICE: Tibetan Freedom, Sheja and Tibetan Bulletin readers can now pay their subscription or donation to the concerned Offices of Tibet in your region. This arrangement shall not apply to subscribers in India. For contact addresses of Offices of Tibet, click here.

Tashi Delek
Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Judiciary
Legislature
Executive
TibetFlash Archive
Press Releases
Latest DIIR Publication
Environment and Development in Tibet: A crucial Issue (2008)
Latest Issues
Tibetan Bulletin
Tibetan Health 
Announcements
Photo Gallery
Latest Photo Gallery


Official Newsletter of the Department of Health

Published Quarterly

January-March 2002
Volume 16, Issue 1

Latest issue | Go to Archive

In this issue:

1. Heath Minister & Secretarty visited Ngeonga School

Ngeonga School for special needs children is the only school catering to the needs of special needs children. In January, Mr. Lobsang Nyendak Zayul, the Minister of Health and Mr. Tsering Dorjee, the Secretary, visited the school coinciding with the reopening of the school after a two-month winter vocation. During their visit they reviewed the construction proposals of the school for new hostel, staff quarters, classrooms and mess. The school admitted 11 new children. The Minister and Secretary met each of the newly admitted children and their families. They also reviewed the health status and condition of each child at the school and are impressed by the progress made by the children. They also discussed with the Director and Secretary of the School about the future plan of admitting about 50 special needs people who are above the age of 16 and providing them with some livelihood skills.

They also paid visit to Dickyiling Tibetan Health Center, where a training for the special group of female students from Sherab Gatsel Lobling School was being coducted. The Minister advised the students on the importance of health education and their role in the community. They later visited Dickyiling Day School and observed the development at the school.

2. Medical Help provided to Devotees

The Kalachakra Initiation and teaching by H.H. the Dalai Lama draws thousand of devotees. In January Joint Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Naik and Under Secretary, Mr. Kalsang Phuntsok represented the Department in preparation of the Kalachakra teaching. Since this years teaching was to be held in Bodh Gaya, the most sacred place of all Buddhist, the organizing committee was expecting about 200,000 devotee during the teaching. The Department has to organize the sanitation facility for the devotees. With the help of State Government and the sponsors of the teaching, the Department supervised the construction of 500 temporary latrines.

During the teaching the Department Organized free medical camp for all the devotees. The Department of Health arranged out patient and inpatient care to about 8000 devotees for about three weeks with majority of the cases seen were upper respiratory tract infection, Gastroenteritis, Peptic Ulcer disease, Hypertension, dehydration and accidents. About 200 patients were admitted at the clinic. A team of 5 doctors, 3 staff nurse, 6 health workers, 3 drivers and 4 paramedics managed the camp. Health education was also provided through the information center of Tibetan Youth Congress and evening public talk arranged by Department of Information and International Relations. We were able to provide 24 hour medical service during the camp.

We would like to thank all the volunteers for helping us in making the medical camp a successful one, the Mahabodhi Society, Bodh Gaya for sparing us their ambulance and Dr. Marsha and her team of acupuncturist for providing free acupuncture clinic, providing US$ 817 towards medical camp tent and some financial help to destitute patients.

3. Chief Project Officer visits Central India Settlements

Mr. Yusuf Naik, the chief project officer of the Department paid visit to Tibetan settlements in central India in January and February. He visited Phuntsokling Tibetan settlement in Orissa State to monitor the TB control program and drinking water project, which is being funded by EC through GLRA Germany. He also supervised the condition of the hospital and is very satisfied with the overall maintenance of the hospital.

Later he visited Phendeyling Tibetan settlement in Mainpat. The settlement is in the process of implementing a big project on water supply including safe drinking water. The Department is funding part of the project. Since the Department had recently appointed a new doctor for the settlement, the visit of the Mr. Naik gave the Department a good opportunity to study the extra infrastructure need of the settlement clinic. He discussed with the new doctor the health condition of the settlement and the immediate needs of the settlement. The Department has decided to construct staff quarter for medical officer and install a new X-ray machine at the clinic.

Chief Project Officer than traveled to Norgeyling Tibetan Settlement near Bandara in Maharastra State. There he reviewed the TB control program and discussed in detail with the Administrator about the purchase of quality anti TB drug. The Department had approved a sanitation project in the settlement, which was fund by EC through GLRA Germany. Mr. Naik supervised the project work and is satisfied with the work done and its benefit to the settlers. He had discussion with the Representative of the settlement on further needs of the settlement. The Representative requested for an appointment of a medical officer at the settlement.

4. Free Eye Camp Organized

The Deoguling Tibetan Settlement in North of Karnataka State in south India is one of the largest refugee settlements in India. The settlement has two monasteries with thousand of monks. Since the settlement hospital do not have resources for eye surgery, it has to organize from time to time such programs for the settlers with the help of other hospital or organizations.

The optician at the settlement hospital did a thorough survey of settlers needing eye correction and found that about 50 people need cataract surgery. Majority of them cannot afford to get the correction surgery done as it cost around seven thousand rupees per person. In February and March this year, the settlement hospital coordinated the correction surgery for these people with the generous help from Vishwa Seva Samitis, Rotary Charitable Hospital, Sirsi. We would like to express our gratitude on behalf of all the settlers for the free cataract surgery with inter ocular lens and medication provided to them by the Rotary Hospital.

5. New quarters for Doctor

The two settlements situated in Bylakuppe, Karnataka State is situated close to each other and therefore both the settlements are provided with health care through Tso Jhe Kangsar Hospital. Although the settlements are one of the firsts agricultural based settlements, an Indian run civil hospital managed the health care of the settlers. Over the years it became defunct and we have to construct a new hospital for the settlement few years back. Due to shortage of fund the hospital do not have facility for staff quarters. With the generous funding from Ms. Debbie Carrani and Dr. Rafela Chiona of Italy, the hospital was able to recently complete the construction of staff quarter for the hospital Executive Secretary and the medical officer. This would go a long way in helping the settlers, as the resident doctor could be available 24 hours for emergency services. We would like to thank both of them for their generosity and look forward to the benefit it would bring to the settlers and further development of the hospital. They have also helped the hospital earlier with the construction of maternity ward. They intend to extend their support to solve some of the other problems of the hospital like funding for photo-analyzer, a new ambulance and relaying the hospital ward and toilets floors.

The hospital is also thankful to Ms. Andria Bennett for her kind help in funding an ECG machine and intercom for the hospital.

6. Basic Health Care Training provided

Sherab Gatsel Lobling School, Dharamsala is a special school for the new refugees escaping from Tibet and who are over aged to admit in normal schools. Each year, the Department provides basic health care training to selected female students to help them in understanding basic health care and help some in developing skills in educating others. The training was in two parts. The field training was provided this January for 30 girls at Dickyiling Health Center. The project was funded by USHA and Dr. Lobsang Tsering of the Health Center was the resource person.

7. Joint Secretary attended meeting

Joint Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Naik attended a two-day meeting with the project coordinators of the EC-DAHW funded projects, which the Department is implementing in different settlements. The meeting took place in New Delhi and the discussion was on the further needs of the projects and review of the all the projects implemented last year. The meeting also discussed in detail the needs for the implementation of different water and sanitation projects for year 2002. They decided to conduct a survey on leper cases in some selected settlements to ascertain its prevalance and provide more health education in the settlements.

8. Department published "Mental Health Care Manual"

The Department of Health has over the last few years implemented the mental health care program in the refugee settlements. The project was initially funded by SIMAVI, an NGO in Holland and Transcultural Psychosocial Organization at Amsterdam was the technical organization, helping the program. At later stage CORDAID, Holland also help fund the project. The project was able to train all the health workers in different settlements in "Identification, Management and Care of Mental Health Patient". The training was conducted with help of a draft manual, which was over the years modified, edited and field-tested. The Department was able to publish the manual in January and distributed to all the settlements, schools and monasteries. This manual will be translated into Tibetan to benefit larger population of the community. We take this opportunity to thank the donors, TPO staff and all the health workers for making it possible for us to publish this book.

9. Donated medicine and used clothes received

We would like to thank Imagine Aria SavePlenetahimalaya-onlus an Italian NGO for making a generous gift of medicine and used clothes to us. The medicine was supposed to be used during the Kalachakra teaching at Bodh Gaya but due to delay at the Airport Customs New Delhi, it could not be used there. The Department deputed Mr. Kalsang Phuntsok to retrieve the gift from Customs and we are happy to distribute all the medicine and the used clothes to some selected settlements, which are to be distributed free to destitute people. The association represented by Ms. Donatella Scalabrino promised to help us further in the near future. We thank the organization for their kind support.

10. Help provided during Health Care training to Nuns

Tibetan Nuns Project organized a health care training to selected nuns from 5 nunneries in and around Dharamsala. Ms. Tsering Lhamo, a nurse working with us as the Reproductive Health Care Project Coordinator was deputed by the Department as the resource person for the training, which lasted for three weeks. She covered a wide range of topics with special emphasis on women health. At the end of the three- week training a test was conducted and except for two all the other six nuns pass the exam. Ms. Tsering Lhamo will be visiting the nunneries to see the effect of the training provided and examine any further needs at these clinics.

11. New Ambulances provided

The Department was able to provide four new ambulances to Tenzingang Tibetan Settlement, Deogu-Yulgyal Ling Settlement, Tibetan Settlement in Bhutan and Dickyiling Tibetan Settlement. Since majority of Tibetan settlements are located in remote areas, the nearest hospital is couple of hour’s drive from the respective settlement. Majority of cases needs referral and ambulance is the most essential. With the ambulance service, the settlers could benefit a lot.

Dickyiling Hospital ambulance fund was donated by FMT; Australia and funds for the other ambulance came from USHA Fund, USA. We would like to thank the donors for their kind support and understanding the needs of these people.

12. Staff Update

Mrs. Tsering Choedon, Joint Secretary, was appointed as the new Director of Ngeonga School with effect from 5th March. She was previously working with the Department of Home and was transferred to the Health Department. Secretary, Mr. Tsering Dorjee was there for the handing over ceremony. We wish Mrs. Namgyal Taklha, the out going Director who worked with us for a very long time, a good health and success. The Department also appointed Mrs. Dechen Dolma as foster parent.

Mrs. Phurbu Sinon, CHW of Ladakh was transferred to Majnu Ka Tilla clinic at Delhi with effect from 2nd Feb. She replaced Ms. Youdon Wangmo who resigned in January.

Mr. Phenpa Dhondup (cook) and Ms. Tsering Chodon (cashier) were appointed as new staff at Phende hospital of Rabgeyling Tibetan Settlement, Hunsur.

13. Visitors

Mrs. Fran May of TOSERVE, USA visited us and discussed about the developments at Ngeonga School and steps to be taken to continue their support to the school. She also had discussions about the possibilities and procedures for sending volunteers to settlement clinics.

Ms. Donatella Sclabrino of Miagine Aria, Italy visited Dharamsala and discussed future collaboration with us. We look forward to the organization supporting us in the near future.

Ms. B. Fenneberg and Mr. Wangchuk Gyalpo of IM-Sweden visited the Department and discussed the developments at the Department and issues concerning the future needs of the Department. They have promised to help fund some of the projects the Department intends to implement this year.

Mrs. Angelika Rahim and Mrs. Gabi Lechl of Initiative Oberland of Germany visited us and met with Hon. Health Minister Mr. Lobsang Nyendak Zayul. They discussed about the ongoing support to Deoguling Tibetan Refugee Hospital, Mundgod. They have been helping the hospital for the last few years and we are very grateful for their kind support.


Health
Administration
Disease Control
Health Education
Mental Health
Hospitals and Clinics
Monitoring and Evaluation
Newsletter
How You Can Help
Contact Address
DISCLAIMER : Please note that this site provides information of CTA Departments/Offices/Institutes. The contents are owned by the respective offices and they may be contacted for any further information or suggestion.

Tibetan Computing Resource Centre: