….may not be so bad.

(this is one of those weird posts that I wrote and has been in draft for sometime while I debated whether or not to post it. Bah, here it is…)

It is an inevitable reality BUT who says you can’t have a good time while your stomach is in knots. The fact of the matter is, you and your medical insurance coverage will definitely take you far in Nepal.

Here are few medical clinics and hospitals that I have across in Kathmandu.

Nepal International Clinic – Travel and Mountain Medicine Centre (a.k.a. NIC).
This family-run clinic is VSO Nepal’s official medical centre and during our first couple of months, it was our most frequently visited place in in Kathmandu. The father and son doctor duo are fantastic, the facilities are pretty good, and their walk-in policy is a plus. We also got all our remaining inoculations here (Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, etc.) as these vaccines are readily available (developing countries get high priority). The clinic is conveniently located south of the Royal Palace and within walking distance of the U.S. Embassy American Club.

CIWEC Clinic Travel Medicine Center
This clinic is one of the biggest operations we have seen to date. It is also a dental clinic and although I haven’t personally been inside, it looks like from the outside the one of the safest places to be in (security guards and all). It is directly across from the British Council (Embassy) and walking distance from the Pacific Guest House.

Norvic International Hospital
One of the best and reliable hospitals in Nepal. A couple of our friends were patients at this hospital and to be frank, they said they were treated like kings. Some of the private rooms have been described as lavishing and I know one volunteer mentioned she didn’t even want to leave.

National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences (a.k.a. Nuero Hospital)
I accompanied a friend here who had a mild heart-condition and luckily he was able to see the best neurosurgeon in all of Asia (there is a 3-month waiting list just to see this doctor). This private-run hospital is brand-new (only 3 years old when we visited) and just like Norvic, there were decent private quarters as well. I was definitely part of history that day as my buddy Fred was the first African-Kenyan patient ever to be treated in the hospital!

The new hospital beside the Bir Emergency Hospital
As of this post, I think there is a brand new shiny hospital being built on Kantipath road, on the left side of the aging Bir Hospital. The sign that was there (it’s not there now) appeared to say it was funded by a slew of INGO’s (USAID, etc.). From the outside, the hospital has a grandious presence with it’s modern marble architecture. But who knows, I could be wrong and it could be another shopping mall.