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The man rescuing expecting-mothers from rural Nepal



Dipak Silwal

KATHMANDU, Feb 3: Doma Rai, 19, was first taken to a local hospital in Solukhumbu district for delivering a baby. After the hospital could not deliver her baby due to medical complications, she was referred to a bigger hospital. In order to save her life, they had to call for an emergency airlift.

Social activist Dipak Silwal organized the emergency airlift and brought her to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. Rai of Sotang Rural Municipality-3, delivered a baby at the hospital. Rai and her new-born baby are healthy now.

Silwal has carried out seven rescue operations from the rural areas of Nepal including one from Jajarkot district, two from Solukhumbhu, Dhading and Sindhupalchok districts each. He has saved lives of Santa Maya Tamang and Sita Jogi Votsipa of Sindhupalchok, Dil Maya Bk and Sano Kanchi Tamang of Dhading, Maheshwori Thapa of Jajarkot and Parbati Basnet of Solukhumbhu.

According to Silwal, Simrik Airlines aids him with the rescue helicopters when any cases of emergency deliveries come. He said that the airline provides him with the facility of paying for the rescue operations on a long-term basis instead of paying for it upfront.

Silwal has been running Ghar-Aangan Nepal, a non-government organization, in Kathmandu for the past seven years. Ghar-Aangan also looks after orphans, physically handicapped and helpless children.

Silwal said that the first rescue was carried out in Sindhupalchok district a year ago when they had to airlift  Santa Maya to the capital for emergency delivery.

“Since then we have been saving lives of expecting mothers from rural areas. We feel great when we become able to save their lives. We are always ready for help.”

Silwal is determined to devote his life to social service. He says he looks forward to continue the initiative of helping such women in the days ahead.

As part of the initiative, he is presently working on establishing fund for purchasing an air ambulance helicopter that will provide emergency help to such women.

“If we become able to buy our own ambulance helicopter, we can rescue more and more expecting mothers who are in need of help in the coming days,” he added.

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