The Green Pastures Hospital Pokhara, Nepal  

Community palliative care making a difference in the Himalayas

by Gloria Pavey

I first travelled in the early 1990s to the beautiful lakeside city of Pokhara, Nepal as a newly graduated nurse and fell in love with the Himalayan landscape, peoples and cultures. Since then, I have returned a few times to visit friends and family.

I began working in community palliative care in Sydney in 2014 and heard of Dr Ruth Powys’ work in palliative care with the International Nepal fellowship at Green Pastures Hospital. 

Green Pastures Hospital has been serving the population of Pokhara and Nepal’s western regions for over 60 years. Its areas of expertise include leprosy, spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities extending to reconstructive surgery, palliative care and specialist ear care. I was fortunate to visit Pokhara in August 2018 and Dr Powys put me in contact with Purnamaya Gurung, a community palliative care nurse at the Green Pastures Hospital. 

www.inf.org/our-work/green-pastures-hospital

Purna welcomed me to join her with her on community visits around Pokhara. It was interesting to be present during the care delivery and to witness the challenges that patients with life limiting illnesses face in Nepal. Purna and I discussed and shared our common experiences and passion for working in the field of community palliative care as well as reflecting on the differences in practice. It was a privilege to spend the day working with Purna and observing her skills and expertise. 

Purna and I have kept in contact and I am pleased to know that Green Pastures Hospital has now built a 14-bed inpatient palliative care unit. 

COVID-19 has affected many people with over 4 million deaths worldwide and it was with much sadness that I watched the Delta strain spread into Nepal in April 2021, affecting my close family and friends. I am thankful for the work of Purna and her colleagues in Nepal especially during this difficult time.

Being a new member of APLI, I am pleased to hear that Purnamaya Gurung has received funding for membership to Palliative Care Queensland nominated by my Sydney colleague Joan Ryan.