She was exposed to some very basic health care facilities and returned very grateful for the English NHS!
Kelly, who is approaching the end of her three-year nurse training at Weston Area Health NHS Trust, worked on the maternity ward in a Nepal hospital where she witnessed women giving birth on the floor without pain relief.
She said: “I was delighted when any child was born healthily, but I was told not to smile if the baby was a girl, only if it was a boy, and I found this very shocking."
Premature or unwell babies were able to go into a very primitive neonatal unit, if their parents could afford to pay, and Kelly was shocked to see how cramped conditions there were and how they would line up five babies to share a single incubator.
Kelly then rode on the roof of the bus into the heart of the Himalayas for her work placement at a village health post which was a six-hour walk from the end of the bus route.
Here she saw everything from minor injuries to major trauma. The only painkilling drug available was Ibruprofen, which was given to all patients no matter what was troubling them. She saw many patients, especially children, with infected wounds, often from farming accidents as most of the local population lives off the land.
One small boy had fallen and broken his arm extremely badly. He was placed in a large basket and the three strongest men from the village took it in turns to carry him on their backs for the six hours back to catch the bus so he could be taken to the government hospital.
Kelly said: “It was amazing to see how the patients and doctors and nurses coped with such few amenities. They were inspirational people.”
Kelly also went into the local orphanages where the children were delighted to practice their English with her. As most of the children do not know when their birthday is, they all celebrate together on one day in a massive joint birthday party, which Kelly joined.
After her placement, which she did with a company called Work the World, Kelly spent some further time in Nepal trekking, taking in the glorious mountain scenery and elephant-watching.
She said: “I am so glad I did it. It really has made me appreciate how fortunate we are to have access to such high standard and free medical care in our country.”
Kelly hopes to continue her employment at Weston General Hospital when she finishes her studies in June.
For further information please contact Caroline Welch on 01934 647091