Doctor's Swift Action in Ambulance Saves Life of Man Critically Injured in Attack in Remote Nepal

Dailekh. Complaints have repeatedly surfaced that doctors are unwilling to serve in government hospitals in remote areas, or if they do, they fail to provide quality treatment. However, a doctor at the Dailekh Hospital here showed exceptional initiative, saving the life of a young man from Gaikhet, Aathbisk Municipality-7, who was seriously injured in a sharp weapon attack.

The team led by Dr. Manoj Bishwakarma, the in-charge of the hospital, reached the location 110 kilometers away from the district headquarters and provided emergency treatment inside the moving ambulance itself. 27-year-old Jeevan Chand was attacked by 31-year-old Jir Bahadur Chand on Wednesday night, who attempted to sever his artery with a sharp weapon.

The initial assumption is that the incident occurred due to a minor dispute stemming from alcohol consumption and an old rivalry. Because the scene of the incident was far from the district headquarters and in an area without communication access, getting the injured person to the hospital in time was challenging.

Upon receiving information that the patient's condition was critical and he was bleeding profusely, Dr. Bishwakarma's team did not wait for the patient to be brought to them but instead rushed to the site with medicine and equipment. Dr. Bishwakarma's team met the ambulance at Sattala's Pulbazar, boarded it, and successfully stopped the bleeding by providing primary surgical treatment while the vehicle was in motion.

"The injured person was not in a condition to speak; a lot of blood had been lost due to the serious injury. If we had not reached him on the way, there was a risk that the patient could have died from anemia en route," said Dr. Bishwakarma. Following this action by the doctor, the injured person's condition stabilized, and he was immediately sent to Karnali Province Hospital in Surkhet.

According to Dr. Ishwar Balami of Karnali Province Hospital, Surkhet, the treatment provided by Dr. Bishwakarma's team en route greatly helped in saving the patient's life. However, due to the depth of the injury, the injured person has been 'referred' to Kathmandu for further specialized treatment, he stated.

The District Police Office stated that the accused in the incident, Jir Bahadur Chand, is currently being searched for. According to Police Inspector Pushpa Raj Rokaya of the District Police Office, police have been mobilized to search for the absconding accused. This demonstration of professional duty and human empathy by a government hospital doctor has been praised at the local level.