Healthcare Initiatives in Spiti | Spiti Ecosphere MUSE

Healthcare facilities in Spiti are basic, diagnosis is rudimentary and there are no specialist doctors. There is one community healthcare centre in Kaza for the entire valley, however for most health issues or to get a diagnosis, one is referred to hospitals in Shimla (2 days away) or Manali (1 day away), and often as far as Chandigarh or Delhi. This is both hard to afford or access. During the busy summer months and agricultural season, it becomes difficult to even travel to Kaza for medical needs, let alone travel out of the valley. When winter arrives and the roads are snowed in or closed, travelling becomes all the more difficult and health concerns take a back seat.

A number of people in Spiti continue to suffer from curable ailments that are undiagnosed or untreated.

Access to good health care shouldn't depend on where you live

Interventions

In 2015 we conceptualised a program that would offer access to quality healthcare services and hence a better quality of life for people in Spiti with an aim to –

Improve Public, Oral & Vision Health in the valley
Provide access to diagnosis, treatment, and medication with a focus on the specially-abled, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses, emphasizing on education and preventive care
Strengthen and support traditional systems of medicine

Diagnosis, Treatment & Medication

IMPACT

Diagnostic & treatment advice to 30+ differently-abled individuals of which 50% received treatment
Medicine support for 10+ patients suffering from chronic illnesses
3 community workers trained at the Institute of Palliative Care, Kerala
70+ persons trained in First Aid & CPR

Diagnostic & Treatment Camps
As a first step, we reached out to organisations and doctors that could get involved. We joined hands with Handimachal, an organization based in Kullu valley working with differently-abled children. With them we organised a 3 day Camp in Kaza. Over 30 individuals with disabilities (children and adults) were assessed and provided with diagnostic and treatment advice and most importantly, a clinical pathway was established for future use. A number of cases such as Scoliosis, Microcephaly, Developmental Delays, and Cerebral Palsy were diagnosed for the first time. Treatment began immediately and it was heartening to see improvements for some cases, while we focused on quality of life and easy access to medicine for others.

With the help of volunteer doctors we have been able to bridge the gap between diagnosis and appropriate medication, supporting patients to visit specialist facilities as far as Chandigarh.

Trainings
Government officials, Health workers and Educators were provided with sensitivity training and knowledge of preventive care. Active members of the community were sent down for training in palliative care and early diagnosis of disabilities in children.

There is limited to no first aid access or basic knowledge in villages making it especially challenging in the winters when the villages get locked in due to snow. Over the years, several volunteers have come over to help out in their respective fields by conducting trainings on First Aid, Physiotherapy, Hand-washing and High Altitude Medical issues.

Medicine Support
Medicine for chronic cases such as Epilepsy and Hepatitis B are not easily available in Spiti. And most importantly, these medicines are expensive and patients cannot afford them. To make medicines available to patients, we now support year-round supply of medicines.

Make a Difference

Join us in saving lives!

Your contribution will help those in need to access accurate diagnosis, treatment and medicines

Every

INR 2000 will help support a months supply of medicines for a patient

INR 10000 will help support access to diagnosis and treatment.

Volunteer your time and expertise with us in Spiti !

If you’re a doctor or a medical practitioner keen on making a difference, we would love to have you over!

Buy Phunchuk’s postcards and enable him to lead a better quality of life

Phunchuk’s story

During our health assessment across Spiti we met with Phunchuk. Disability had crippled his legs, right arm and his speech when he was a child. He could have benefitted immensely if his disability had been diagnosed and treated when he was a child, however it was too advanced and too late now. On one of our home visits we were amazed to find that he loves to draw and colour. So, we got him a colouring book. Phunchuk left everyone in awe as he proceeded to skilfully draw and colour with just his left hand and a smile to brighten any room!

We have now designed postcards out of his stunning artistic creations, the proceeds from the sale of which has made Phunchuk independent and us extremely happy.

In 2019, Phunchuk earned INR 7000 by the sale of his postcards. His dream is to buy a laptop. And we want to see his dream come true.

You can buy his postcards from our online shop or in Kaza from Sol café and Taste of Spiti.

Oral Healthcare

IMPACT

5000+ patients treated
8000+ treatments

Oral health is severely ignored amongst the Spiti community. Little to no importance is given to dental hygiene resulting in adults losing most of their teeth to cavities by the time they are in their 40’s. Children experience tooth decay even before their permanent teeth come out. People avail dental facilities only in extreme conditions, which mostly results in tooth extraction.

In 2019, we undertook a detailed Oral Health Assessment, in collaboration with the Department of Health, School of Dentistry, University of UTAH, (USA) and found an urgent need of providing Dental Care Services and Oral Health Education in the valley.

Based on these findings, in 2021 we onboarded a team of senior dentists with whom we have been able to hold free dental camps across villages in Spiti, imparting treatment and oral health education.

The success of our Spiti camps has led us to expand the initiative to the state of Chhattisgarh where a similar model is being followed across the interior villages of Chhattisgarh.

Make a Difference

Join us in saving smiles!

Your contribution will help in providing dental care and treatment to those in need.

Every

INR 2000 will help 5 patients access quality dental care

Volunteer your time and expertise with us in Spiti !

If you’re a Dentist keen on making a difference, we would love to have you over!

Traditional Systems of Medicine

IMPACT

2000+ patients have access to alternative & preventative healthcare.

The traditional system of medicine practiced in Spiti finds its roots from Tibetan medicine, also known as ‘Sowa Rigpa’, one of the world’s oldest known forms of traditional medicine going back over 2500 years. Tibetan medicine has been known to have great success with common ailments as well as chronic illnesses regarded by the West as incurable.

The Amchis (traditional doctors) spend their lives mastering the understanding and use of rare, highly adaptive plants and herbs that grow in the Himalayas from which they make their medicines. They diagnose illnesses by reading the pulse and urine analysis, basis which they prescribe and provide the right combination of herbs for the patient. The medicine may consist of a single herb or many. Even with the introduction of modern medicine in Spiti, the Amchis are still usually the first point of contact the locals seek.

Today there are however only a handful of practicing Amchis left in Spiti due to a multitude of reasons, one of them being the lack of any financial remuneration as traditionally Amchis do not charge their patients. Amchis are increasingly finding it difficult to balance the financials associated with collection/procurement of herbs for medicines and the lack of any economics associated with the practice.

Most of the younger-generation Amchis in Spiti have left the practice and taken up employment or business opportunities that are more lucrative.

Chhering Norbu:
Chhering Norbu who is part of the core team of Ecosphere (belongs to one of the renowned Amchi families of Spiti), has taken this tradition forward. Having spent many years learning under his grand-father, father and other renowned Amchis, he is now one of the few remaining practising Amchis of Spiti.

Norbu has been practicing for over 5 years and his ability to accurately diagnose and treat diseases has earned him great repute in the valley. His patient base has grown from less than 200 to over 2000 in just a few years. It is now customary to find him surrounded by patients – be it in the middle of community meetings, building greenhouses or fixing solar water pumps. Norbu refuses to take money from the local community even when offered keeping in line with tradition and more so as he feels healthcare should be accessible to all equally.

Realising the measure of his invaluable service and the associated struggles to keep it going, we now provide financial support for the procurement of herbs and the making of medicines.