The Nepal Healthcare Equipment Development Foundation (NHEDF– Free Health care & Rehabilitation) is a team of biomedical engineers, doctors, nurses, and social workers, who work together to save lives of people in Nepal by providing free medical rehabilitation, specialized healthcare, use of repurposed biomedical equipment and on-site rehabilitation. After the earthquake hit Nepal in 2015 the hospitals all over the country were overwhelmed with patients. Due to a large number of patients who needed service, once the treatment was conducted they were discharged immediately even when they needed care and nursing support.
Looking at this condition, Samrat Singh Basnet, a hospital engineer by profession founded NHEDF- Free Health care & Rehabilitation. Samrat during the time of the earthquake opened up a makeshift clinic out of his office. For the patients who could not return home after the treatment because their home was destroyed could stay at NHEDF. NHEDF provided shelter, rehabilitation and continuous care, working to prevent lifelong ailments that patients might face in the absence of proper medical care. The organization started its operation in 2015 to serve the casualties of the earthquake and it has been serving patients since then till this date.
The facility offers a family-oriented nurturing environment with the capacity to house 40 patients and caretakers, plus three meals and snacks per day. All care provided to patients and caretakers is free of charge. The qualified and trained staff provide nursing services (24 hours/day), physiotherapy, medical rounds, psychosocial counseling (individual and group), health promotion activities, and assisted transport services when follow up or outside care is needed.
NHEDF started with a 3 room facility that could accommodate 10 patients. On this date, they have rented a home where they can accommodate 30 patients. The stay of the patients varies from a month to 3 years depending on their medical case. They have specific criteria for accepting patients, some of them are, have an earthquake-related injury or a recent orthopedic or head injury that requires rehabilitation care, would benefit from 1-8 months of active physiotherapy, require large wound dressing and those who live in remote areas, requiring follow-up visits in hospital. They mostly get patients through a referral from an individual or from a hospital.
They run through donations provided to them and also welcome volunteers who want to serve the patients either with their medical specialization or simply general care. From the date of inception, they have served and healed over 600 patients.