IFCH

Here are some excerpts from previous volunteers who have spent time working in different capacities at the International Friendship Children's Hospital.

“Working in the International Friendship Children’s Hospital with Dr Shakya was a wonderful experience that has taught us a lot about medical practice, but also about Nepali people and culture. The friendly opened minded and professional attitude of Dr Shakya has made our stay as perfect as possible.
If only there is were more hospitals like this in Nepal.
We want to thank Dr Shakya and would recommend volunteering in IFCH to everybody who wants to learn a lot”

Anna(anna_schwinn@web.de)
Hannah (Hannahvalentina17@hotmail.com)

My name is Jordi Regterschot , I came from the Netherlands to visit Kathmandu in Nepal as a volunteer in the Friendship Hospital. The staff and especially Dr. Shakya have been very helpful in their utilities and information. Dr. Shakya always interacts with you and constantly tries to involve volunteers in the diagnosis of a patient. I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in which medical procedures follow during surgery. For all volunteers who are thinking of coming here through Projects Abroad and spend 1800 dollars don’t! It is not a charity it’s a business and if I had known I would have rather invested this money to the Friendship Hospital as I admire what Dr. Shakya is trying to achieve. If any doctor deserves praise, at least he has earned mine is Dr. Shakya as he is trying to establish a system which allows all patients to receive medical support. He is most friendly and welcomes all volunteers to come straight to this hospital without any need of a medium. I have a lot to thank to this hospital, as I have experienced a memorable period of my life. Whenever I finish my medical degree I will definitely come here to work for Dr. Shakya for a couple of years. Thank you for your time.

Namaste everbody !
My volunteering at the IFCH in Kathmandu was an incredible experience.I have learnt a lot and met lovely friends.Doctors and nurses there are good hearted people and devoted to patients.They set good example to all the volunteers.I had chance to see a lot of cases there that i couldn'nt encounter back in Europe.
Volunteering at IFC is really broadened my horizons and expanded my medical knowledge.
I will never forget the months i spent there .
The food in the hospital canteen is the best :)
Justyna (justyna_danielska@gazeta.pl)
30th Jan 2011

17 January 2011

I had the best time in IFCH: it’s a wonderful hospital. I gained a lot of knowledge about paediatrics and saw many interesting cases. The doctor is a really good paediatrician and teacher as well. He explained to me a lot about all types of diseases and treatment options.

Everybody in the hospital has been very nice and I really felt at home. It was my first time in Nepal and I enjoyed every moment being here. Working in IFCH was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to any medical student who is interested in paediatrics.

Thank you IFCH, best wishes to everyone!

Femke van Zanten, Netherlands

Working at the International Friendship Children's Hospital has been an incredible experience.As a medical student from a develeped country,I had saw many causes you'd never get chance to see back home, and learned a lot from Dr Shakya who isn't only a great doctor and surgeon,but also a good teacher who dedicated to his work.I really hope for him and the hospital to succeed and grow, and hopefully I get to come back and see Dr Shakya vision fulfilled.

Saija Sinimaki - Finland

(saijasinamiki@hotmail.com)

My name is Jordi Regterschot , I came from the Netherlands to visit Kathmandu in Nepal as a volunteer in the Friendship Hospital. The staff and especially Dr. Shakya have been very helpful in their utilities and information. Dr. Shakya always interacts with you and constantly tries to involve volunteers in the diagnosis of a patient. I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in which medical procedures follow during surgery. For all volunteers who are thinking of coming here through Projects Abroad and spend 1800 dollars don’t! It is not a charity it’s a business and if I had known I would have rather invested this money to the Friendship Hospital as I admire what Dr. Shakya is trying to achieve. If any doctor deserves praise, at least he has earned mine is Dr. Shakya as he is trying to establish a system which allows all patients to receive medical support. He is most friendly and welcomes all volunteers to come straight to this hospital without any need of a medium. I have a lot to thank to this hospital, as I have experienced a memorable period of my life. Whenever I finish my medical degree I will definitely come here to work for Dr. Shakya for a couple of years. Thank you for your time.

Jordi Regterschot Netherlands

Working at IFCH was an absolutely wonderful experience.  As a second year medical student, I got to see in practice what I have only learned in books.
The opportunity to work with Dr. Shakya was a once in a life time experience that I will never forget.  He is a wonderful teacher, who is so willing to teach his volunteers about medicine and so much more.  His vision of the future of pediatric medicine is awe inspiring and I hope to one day come back and see it actualized.

Whitney Lieb - USA

(whitney.lieb@gmail.com)

Freiwilligenarbeit im International Friendship Children's Hospital:

Ich bin Lea, 20 Jahre alt und komme aus Deutschland. Im Mai/Juli 2010 war ich fuer 6 Wochen als Freiwillige im IFCH und moechte hier kurz üeber meine Erfahrungen berichten.
Besonders interessant fand ich, zu sehen, wie unterschiedlich die arbeitsweise dort im Vergleich zu Krankenhaeusern der westlichen Welt ist.
Die Machinen und Materialien haben nicht den Qualitaetsstandart, den wir in Deutschland gewoehnt sind und auch der Umgang mit Patienten ist sehr verschieden.
Dieses Krankenhaus ist ein guter Ort, um die Kulturunterschiede und vorallem die Geldprobleme des Landes im Bezug auf das Gesundheitswesen mitzuerleben.
Oft koennen Operationen nur durchgefuehrt werden, wenn genug Geldspenden vorhanden sind und das dauert meisst sehr lange.
Von Vorteil ist es, wenn man ein geringes medizinisches Vorverstaendnis mitbringt, denn die Aerzte und Schwestern im IFCS sprechen zwar sehr gut englisch, die englischen Fachbegriffen waren mir aber oft neu und so habe ich mir vieles selbst erarbeitet um die Diagnosen der Kinder richtig zu verstehen.
Ich wuerde einen Aufenthalt im IFCH von 2 bis 6 Wochen empfehlen, damit man genuegend Zeit hat sich alles im Krankenhaus in Ruhe anzusehen und die Ablaeufe mitzuerleben. Anfangs besteht die Freiwilligenarbeit oft nur aus Zusehen und Fragen stellen, aber ab und zu ist es moeglich bei kleineren Dingen zu assistieren und mitzuhelfen.
Ich hatte spannende 6 Wochen im IFCH und habe eine Menge dazu gelernt.
Die Mitarbeiter des Krankenhauses leisten eine Menge arbeit und helfen damit vielen Kindern und deren Familien in Nepal.

Wenn Ihr Fragen habt oder noch genauere Informationen benoetigt, dann schreibt mir doch einfach :

Lea Blaumer

leabla@web.de wuensche euch eine gute Zeit im IFCH!

ijn naam is Emily Vandamme en ik heb 6 weken doorgebracht in het IFCH. Dokter Shakya is een ongelooflijk vriendelijke man net als de rest van het personeel. Ik kon hem volgen, vragen stellen, operaties bijwonen, met de kinderen spelen, helpen bij sommige medische procedures,... . Het is super om te zien hoeveel iedereen hier doet om de kinderen te helpen en de ouders gerust te stellen. Zelf diegene die geen geld hebben worden hier geholpen, echt een voorbeeld voor alle andere ziekenhuizen! Mijn 6 weken hier in Nepal zal ik nooit vergeten, het was een levensveranderende ervaring!

Emily Vandamme, Belgium

I had a wonderful experience at International Friendship Children’s Hospital. Dr. Shakiya was a great teacher and he made us feel very at home in this hospital. I think that the hospital is an amazing place to treat children and should be a model to other hospitals. I enjoyed seeing the outpatients in Dr. Shakiya’s office, as well as visiting the PICU and NICU floors. The Dr. also invited us to watch surgeries when possible. I am very grateful for my experience here and I will never forget it.

Simone Zell, California

Meine Erfahrungen, die ich hier im Krankenhaus gesammelt habe sind sehr positiv. Ich konnte viele neue Krankheiten kennen lernen und den Vergleich zu unserem Land ziehen.
Man merkt dass Nepal eins der aermsten Laender ist; Die Menschen hier sind jedoch alle sehr gastfreundlich und hilfsbereit. Das arbeiten im Krankenhaus hat mir viel Spass gemacht auch wenn wir nicht sehr viel helfen konnten.
Dr.Shakya hat uns immer alles erklaert und uns wie Doktoren behandelt. Es war immer sehr lustig mit ihm und wir bekamen viel Freiraum was unsere Taetigkeit im Krankenhaus betrifft.
Insgesamt kann ich sagen war es eine unvergessliche Erfahrung, die ich hier in Kathmandu ueber 5 Wochen lang gemacht habe.

Eva Salveridou, Germany (evanthula@gmx.de)

At IFCH you are surrounded by a supportive and friendly group of staff committed to bringing quality and accessible healthcare to the people of Nepal. Its rapid growth ensures a wide variety of possible projects available for the prospective volunteer- everything from observing local doctors to developing your own self initiated project. Be proactive and enjoy your time at IFCH, but don’t forget to visit the rest of this beautiful country.

Stanley Lam Canada

July 7, 2010
For the past ten days, we’ve had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Shanta Chandra Shakya and gain a better understanding of the healthcare needs of Nepal.  During our time at the hospital, we’ve been impressed by the resources that are available here.  As well, seeing the expansion and growth of the hospital infrastructure has been exciting.  Moreover, as medical students, it has been inspirational to see how the hospital provides care to people from all different socioeconomic classes.  Dr. Shakya has also been exemplary in his work ethic and compassion for his patients.  We’ve had the opportunity to observe a variety of illnesses and their treatments that are more common in developing countries that we would not have otherwise seen.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our experience at IFCH and hope that we can come back to this hospital later on when we are further in our medical training.  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be here at IFCH and we will definitely share our experiences with our peers when we are back in Canada.  

Brian Li, Elsa Clouatre & Pearl Leung
University of Toronto MD Class of 2013

I've had an interesting experience shadowing Dr. Shakya at IFCH for the past three weeks.  This was my first clinical experience after finishing my first year of medical school and it was nice to see the application of what I am learning.  It was particularly interesting to compare and contrast the way health care is delivered here at IFCH and in Canada, as well as to get a feel for the different illnesses that affect Nepal and Canada.  I was also able to observe several surgeries at IFCH, which is something I am very interested in and considering as a career path.  The people at IFCH were very friendly and accommodating and I enjoyed my time here.

Ryan Wolek (ryan.wolek@gmail.com)
Doctor of Medicine Candidate (class of 2013), University of Toronto

Je m’appelle Chloe, je travaille depuis 4 semaines comme infirmiere volontaire au friendship children’s hospital au Nepal.
Tout d’abord, il faut savoir que le Nepal compte plus 30 millions d’habitants, et que 50% de la population a moins de 20 ans. Pays du tiers monde ou la situation politique reste considerablement instable, rendant l’accessibilite aux soins tres difficile. Le Nepal compte parmis les 10 pays les plus pauvres au monde et fait parti des 3 pays ayant le plus fort taux de mortalite infantile.
Etant donnee les circonstances, il me semblai enrichissant de travailler aupres d’enfants.
En tant que professionnelle de sante, mon experience au sein de cet hospital m’a beaucoup apportee. Cela m’a permis de decouvrir de nouvelles pathologies rares ou inexistantes en France, telsque des cas d’encephalite japonnaise, dengue, maladie des os de verre… De plus, en raison d’un manque de vaccination la tuberculose reste omnipresente. J’ai egalement pu assister a differentes interventions chirurgicales. Ce que j’ai le plus apprecie durant mon sejour ces l’echanges avec les differents professionnels de sante, qui consistait a partager nos connaissances et notre experience. De plus le fait de travailler dans un hospital permet de se plonger directement dans la culture nepalaise et de percevoir leurs reactions face a la maladie et a la mort.
Ce que je peux dire a propos de cet hospital publique nepalais, c’est qu’il est en perpetuel mouvement, ou tous s’efforcent de trouver des solutions afin de permettre l’accessibilite aux soins pour tous et d’offrir des soins de qualite.
Aidez les dans ce combat en venant commPe volontaire, ils ont besoin de vous!

Miss Chloe Katell Perrei , France

(Chl.perret@laposte.net)

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement at the International Friendship Children’s Hospital. I have found it extremely challenging, but so, so rewarding. I have learnt so much here, and I will definitely take it with me and remember it for the rest of my life. Everybody in the hospital does their very best, with what limited resources they have, and it is truly inspirational. I would definitely recommend this hospital to volunteers either pre-med or professional. The more help this hospital receives, the more it can grow, to be able to help even more children. I’d like to thank all the staff for their kindness, and especially to Dr. Shanta Chandra Shakya for allowing me to shadow him, enabling me to learn so much. The time and effort this man puts in to helping ‘his people’ is truly inspirational, and is someone we could all learn from. I have learned so much from him and have been deeply moved by his dedication. I will never forget the work that Dr. Shakya, or the dedication of not only him, but also his brother and sister, who also put so much time and effort in to helping children at the hospital. I will definitely return to this wonderful hospital after I qualify as a paramedic, that way I can transfer my skills from the UK to here. I look forward to returning one day soon. "

Sophie Goodwin, England, UK

"I' m a Japanese nurse and doing volunteer work in this hospital. Before I came here, I was little nervous because I couldn't imagine Nepali medical and if I could adjust here or not. But doctor and nurse were very kind to me even I can't speak English well and taught me a lot of things.

Working here is good experience in my life.

After I come back to Japan, I'll try to send some equipment or medicine to this hospital and want to help them."

Miki Mizoguchi from Japan