Global EMS

What would you do without 911? In Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, most people experiencing medical emergencies either take themselves to the hospital, go by taxi, or call ambulances with no medical equipment or with no trained medical providers. In a study done by Patan Hospital in Nepal, it was found that the lack of prehospital medical care contributed to a significant increase in the morbidity and mortality of the patients seen in the emergency departments of Kathmandu.

 

The nonprofit Nepal Ambulance Service (NAS) was started in 2009 with the assistance of Stanford Emergency Medicine to address the lack of adequate prehospital care in Nepal. It is the first and only ambulance provider in the country with the training and equipment necessary to treat life threatening emergencies in the field and during transport. 

 

The Stanford trained EMTs that staff NAS provide life saving services to the people of Nepal, but currently lack the essential equipment and access to continuing medical education to ensure optimal emergency medical response. The Global EMS group is currently working with NAS to address the shortcomings and to help develop a successful and sustainable EMS system in the city of Kathmandu. 

This coming December, we will be traveling to Nepal to conduct training to refresh the Nepal Ambulance Service EMTs' skills and to expand upon their knowledge of disease etiologies and treatment. Courses will include the management of cardiac, respiratory, abdominal, obstetric and gynecological, and pediatric emergencies.