Overseas Opportunities

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Nepal
The International Porter Protection Group (IPPG) is setting up a first aid post in Machermo this spring. Machermo is located at 4440 meters in the Gokyo Valley of the Everest trekking region, an area that is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative/addition to the Everest base camp trek. The altitude gain in this valley is rapid, and each season there have been reports of deaths in trekking porters, the result of untreated altitude sickness or exposure.

The aid post is primarily designed to treat Nepali porters and to this end we will be employing a Nepali first aider. However it is proving impossible to find a local person with any experience in high altitude problems. Thus we are seeking doctors who would be interested in spending a period of time (to be discussed) in Machermo, assisting and training the Nepali employee. We envision that if we have a Western trained doctor, the post will also treat Western trekkers. The medical care to porters will be provided free or for a very nominal fee. However we will request payment from Western trekkers in order to fund the aid post. IPPG is a very small, totally volunteer run organization; we have received a small amount of funding to initiate this project. We are hoping that we can develop this into a permanent aid post in the valley.

We will have available a good range of appropriate medications, oxygen and a Gamow bag. We envision the Western doctor living in the lodge in which the aid post will initially be housed.

Ideally the volunteer doctor(s) will have some experience in high altitude medicine, however this is not essential as we can organize training. You should be culturally sensitive and, hopefully, have some experience of working in a remote area in a developing country.

We aim to open the post in mid March and operate it through late May this year as we expect significant numbers of visitors to the region due to the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt Everest on May 29.

Please contact me at trishb@mos.com.np. For more information about IPPG, visit our website www.ippg.net. Dr Trish Batchelor, CIWEC Clinic, Kathmandu, Nepal.