by Kristen D. Atonson

26 August 2010

Chulachuli, Nepal: I am an international UNV volunteer from the Philippines stationed in Nepal. This is an account of a typical day as a member of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Medical Section.

It is ten o’clock in the morning. The helicopter is slowly descending onto the landing pad at Chulachuli in Ilam District. Looking out of the open window, I see single storey mud structures scattered over the plain. Dust rises as the propeller blades whip the hot air, and the noise of the engines diminishes.

We are at one of the sites where UNMIN, whose mission is to monitor the disarmament of Maoist rebels, is stationed. On a typical day, one of the arms monitors goes on a 12-hour shift where part of the job is to compile weather, logistical and situational reports while the other two or three arms monitors patrol the satellite cantonment sites and the surrounding areas.

As soon as the door opens, I grab my bags – one containing medicines and medical supplies, the other, my medical kit.

“Vishnu, how much time do I have?” I ask the flight monitor.

“Fifty minutes,” she replies.

So, I set my timer to 50 minutes. 

Upon arrival, I start my “rounds”. I mostly look out for accident-prone areas and for vegetations and substances that can be hazardous to the health and safety of arms monitor officers. 

Then one of the arms monitors tells me that they found a snake the night before and killed it. They saved it for me to inspect and confirm if it was a venomous snake. Sure enough, on top of the stony ground was a black and yellow banded krait, one of the venomous snake species in Nepal. Fortunately, no one was bitten. Snake bites are one of the major concerns.

Following that, I inspect the medicine cabinet and see all the staff members, check their blood pressure and inquire about their health problems. Two have specific health problems; one has a sore throat and the other high blood pressure.

Soon after, I meet my team leader and discuss my observations during my rounds and give him my recommendations. This is followed by health and safety awareness discussion. The staff members gather around and we discuss prevention of snakebites and first aid care in cases of snakebites. My 50 minutes are almost up, and I must hurry for our next stop.

During a flight from the one of the sites, I began thinking: “if a medical emergency or a trauma incident were to occur, do I have the necessary equipment and medicines on hand?” This prompted Carine Jimenez, the UNV volunteer nurse and me to go over the helicopter’s first aid equipment and supplies. This activity led us to be involved in training other staff members in first aid and basic life support.

“Are you done?” asks Vishnu, the flight monitor.

“Give me a few minutes,” I reply as I stuff my stethoscope and sphygmomanometer into my bag.