One working day at OCH, I was assigned the procedure duty along with a Consultant General Practitioner (MDGP) resident doctor. Dr John, our medical coordinator, was there for any support. We had just finished two orthopedic cases and were about to finish for the day when Dr. John told me that we had to do one more operation. An II-year-old girl had been referred from the district hospital in Rumjatar with a provisional diagnosis of ruptured appendicitis. Clinically, the patient had generalized peritonitis and an ultrasound report suggested gangrenous appendicitis. We proceeded to an emergency abdominal operation.

At this time, our surgeon was away, and our other senior doctor was on emergency leave. The operation lasted two and a half hours. We successfully removed the stuck down perforated appendix with some difficulty and washed out the pus from her abdomen. Her post-operative recovery period was extended by a superficial wound infection which we treated successfully. At discharge, the girl and her mother exuded relief and we could tell that happiness was restored by the smile on their faces.

Behind the story:

She was from Gaighat of Udaypur District in Province 1 (about 180 km away from OCH). She was in Okhaldhunga for the celebration of a festival at her uncle’s home along with her mother and younger sister. Her father was away in India to earn a living and visited them only once every two to three years.

After developing abdominal pain around the umbilical region with fever for three days, the pain moved into the appendix area and later become severe and generalized. Unable to tolerate such difficulty, she and her mother visited a local clinic where she was prescribed some pain killers and sent home. The pain worsened making them decide to visit the District Hospital. From there she was referred to our hospital.

She wants to be a soldier in future. I don’t know whether the scar on her abdomen will allow her to realize the dream. Anyway, I wish her good health and success in every step of her life.

Dr. Bijaya Dahal
(MO, UMN MDT)