
A megaquake, which struck Nepal on 25 April 2015, affected the nation’s extensive areas, causing thousands of casualties and material damage. To acknowledge people’s post-quake reconstruction efforts and their resilience throughout the past decade, AMDA Nepal organized an event comprising medical relief and a lecture on disaster preparedness at the village of Bethanchowk. It was co-held by the Bethanchowk municipality and Lotus Nepal, AMDA Nepal’s local counterpart.
Bethanchowk is not easily accessible because of its mountainous location. Against the backdrop of its geography, torrential rain, flooding, and mudslides have been increasing due to recent climate change. As a result, these combined elements have made the community vulnerable to natural disasters.
In fact, the village was hit by floods and landslides in October 2024, which severely affected people’s daily lives. For this reason, there had been an urgent need to raise people’s awareness about disaster preparedness. At the same time, providing medical relief was thought to be requisite for those who seldom had access to medical services.
The event, which consisted of two parts, was carried out by a group of doctors, nurses, clinical technicians, pharmacists, and local volunteers. Also among the staff members were the village deputy mayor and the head of Ward-6, where the clinic serving as the event venue was located.

The first part was a seminar on disaster prevention. Highlighting how to prepare for natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides, practical tips on early alert, evacuation procedures, and preventive measures for landslides were shared. These tips were based on key take-away points from last year’s flooding experience.
To facilitate people’s understanding, handouts were provided to explain how each family should start planning for emergencies, how to cooperate within the community, and how to administer basic first aid.
The second part was a “health camp,” which provided medical services to local people. A total of 79 residents showed up for the consultation. Of these, 38 were women who underwent gynecological check-ups (including cervical cancer screening). In addition, eight people received ultrasounds on doctors’ recommendations. This helped detect patients with chronic ailments and infections.
There were also cases such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), and gastric hyper secretion.
Among 12 patients who received gynecological check-ups was a woman whose test result was positive after cervical cancer screening.
There were patients with urinary tract infection (UTI), vaginal discharge syndrome (VDS), and chronic cervicitis as well. Of those who underwent ultrasounds, one patient required further examination, and two patients were found to have gallstones.

Most of the patients who dropped in for consultations were elderly people and women. They often have difficulty accessing medical services due to their financial reasons and their remote locations. After the medical camp was over, patients said they were glad to be able to understand their current health conditions, and that they were pleased to undergo proper medical examinations for the first time in their lives.
For those who require further screening and follow-up medical treatment, Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital in the nearby city of Banepa has kindly offered to give support.

Overall, the lecture on disaster preparedness and the medical camp were truly meaningful at this significant time, especially given that people’s lives are deeply rooted in the local community. Through this initiative, it also helped surface the local needs and issues that needed to be addressed moving forward. For instance, there needs to be a system to provide medical services in remote regions. The public also needs to be constantly educated on disaster preparedness.
Through medical assistance, and by promoting disaster preparedness and the early detection of health risks, AMDA Nepal hopes to realize “stronger and healthier local communities” with its partners.