Jhumlawang Community Health Centre (JCHC)
The Community Health Centre project is one of the major projects of JVF-NEPAL. Once it comes in full operation, it will serve not only the community members of Jhumlawang, but more than 25,000 people from our neighbouring villages who have been suffering like we have, for several decades from basic health issues, such as: burns, chicken pox, cholera, cut, diarrhea, fever, flu, and stomach upset, among others.
Beginning:
Nearly two years of preparation and working hard together with our France based partner organisation – Association Humanitaire Partage et Soins, the construction work of the project started on the 25th November 2010, and the first phase of the project was completed in June 2012.
The plots of land for the project were donated by two community members: Mr Gaj Bahadur Gurung and Mrs Thum Kumari Budha, in memory of their sons whom they lost in separate accidents.
One of our diaspora members, architect Ajay Magar designed the building and has been leading a team of 2 sub-civil engineers- Laxman Budha and Tejendra Budha, to oversee the overall construction of the buildings.
Open for Service:
The Community Health Centre formally began to provide basic health services to our community members and people from neighbouring villages from 29th October 2012 with two full time staff: Shiva Kumar Magar, Community Medical Assistant, and Mrs Parbati Gurung, Pharmacist.
Since it came into operation, it has been a big relief especially for children and women who are more prone to basic health issues and infections. JVF-NEPAL has been working to build a long term partnerships with other health organisations within country and abroad to run regular health camps with volunteer doctors, nurses, midwife and other medical experts every year in this centre.
Continuation:
There is still a lot of construction work to be done in order to complete the whole project. When the main section of the building was completed, the community and our partner organisation, Association Humanitaire Partage et Soins, made a decision to start offering basic health services because it can save many lives while the construction work of other sections will still be continuing.
Our dream to have a Health Centre in our village had started when Veronique Chenat, President of Association Humanitaire Partage et Soins in partnership with Act Alliance Nepal, organized two health camps in 2008 and 2009. These health camps really made people aware of not only about their poor health conditions, but also advantage of having a good health centre in the village.Our dream to have a Health Centre in our village had started when Veronique Chenat, President of Association Humanitaire Partage et Soins in partnership with Act Alliance Nepal, organized two health camps in 2008 and 2009. These health camps really made people aware of not only about their poor health conditions, but also advantage of having a good health centre in the village.
So, while we are delighted to come this far in relatively short period of time, but much is yet to be done. Our main goal is to build and gradually upgrade infrastructures, prepare human resources from within the community that we are in need of in the health sector to establish 15 bed hospital within 10 year of time from now on. Our journey continues…