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Good Dr recommendation

Last activity 28 March 2018 by dupuis2017

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Myxat3

In case we need to see a Dr or go to a clinic, who do you recommend
Thanks

Moniica26

I think you will find that the great majority of expats, embassy and other well paid folks all flock to Narvik Hospital and/or CIWEC and pay "expat prices" for expat services! I chose another route.
If you have time and do not require emergency treatment, try to find out who's the best pediatrician, or no. 1 cardiologist, or the most experienced dermatologist in town, et al, depending on what specialty doctor or type of services you require by asking friends and other people around you. You will discover as I did, that many of the very best doctors in Ktm exercise at both Narvik and in parallel fashion also at some other major nepali hospital like TU (Teaching Hospital) or Tilganga Heart Clinic or other. And so the thing I recommend you do is the following. Instead of consulting that eminent doctor at Narvik, for example, you consult with exactly the same doctor at Teaching Hospital after you've made sure that he also exercises there. If you just consult, the consultation will be identical.
I know TU well. You just go there at 8:30 in the morning on weekdays, get a little booklet with your name on it by paying 50 rupees to the teller at entrance window, and walk to the building where the eminent specialist is seeing patients.
The difference is that in one case you pay the eminent ABC - Expats Clinic hundreds if not more of dollars, and in the second instance, you pay virtually nothing - Nepali price, they call it. Ask around and try it.
Speaking from experience, I managed to have consultations this way with the No. 1 heart specialist in the country, who worked at both TU and these other two places where expats go, in pomp and glory.
Choice is now yours.
P.S. If you need to be hospitalized, that's a different story. You may want and/or require the Narvik comfort treatment and attendance, who knows? If you have the money, or the health insurance policy which will cover your costly stay, what do you care?

Myxat3

I took your advice exactly
Thanks

USA Nerd

How did you find out he was the #1 heart specialist in Nepal? (I have a pacemaker.)

Moniica26

There are many doctors in this field, but Dr. Bhagwan Koirala, MD, FACC (1960) is an internationally known cardiothoracic surgeon, professor and social worker. He's best known for pioneering open-heart surgery in Nepal and for starting an operational cardiac care for the public. For further information, I refer you to complete write-up and whole medical history of this eminent doctor and surgeon  which appears in Wikipedia, and widely disseminated on the net.
Suggest you now proceed to do your own investigation of this person through friends, colleagues or professional people in the field and come to your conclusions, so you are fully satisfied, prior to possibly contacting him as you think may be appropriate.
In Nepal, it is not uncommon for doctors to move around and change their stay from one hospital to another, but you should be able to easily locate him in the hospital or clinic (open to the public) where he is currently practicing.
Submitted in all good faith, and without responsibility on my part.
Hope this helps.

USA Nerd

Thank you for the info.

Moniica26

Difficult to give a good Dr. recommendation at Norvic International Hospital at this point. In the press, the HT of 25/02/2018 is reporting that one of Norvic's patients underwent surgery on the wrong leg - the right instead of the ailing left one. All we know at this point is that Norvic has agreed to waive all charges to this one aggrieved and most unfortunate patient - with latter having already received a "free treatment card", they said. Nepal's Medical Council is investigating, as they should, Holy Moly.....

MadagascarNow

Moniica26 - great advice. I've been suggesting going to a hospital with an INGO presence. They are nearly up to the standard as the country that funds it. But I like your advice better-to find out what other hospitals the doctor practices at.

I like the Dhulikhel Kathmandu Teaching Hospital. It's amazing prices, state of the art equipment and new building. I really like the dental clinic there.

USA Nerd

Actually, this is not just a Nepali problem. It happens in the USA. It got so bad that in the last 10-20 years hospitals started requiring nurses to use a permanent marker on a limb or side of the body during prep. If a doctor doesn't see the mark, he won't operate for awhile until he double and triple checks which side is correct.

jl1234

I'll go for Moniica's advice. Assuming one has the time - and it's no emergency - particularly in a country like Nepal - best and safer too to start by first surveying the profession and making as good a choice as possible about whom you think is the most capable doctor for you in a specific field. So name of doctor first, name of hospital or clinic, no. 2 consideration. After that in step two, like she said, try then to get yourself a consultation with that one doctor in the hospital which is open to the public, because more often than not, high profile doctors work in several hospitals and can be consulted there. I am of course referring to those very large hospitals like Bir (oldest & busiest), B&B, TU and others which receive hundreds if not thousands of people day in and day out.   
If one reverses that order of things, and one shows up at the hospital in Nepal with no clue or pre-knowledge of who you are going to see, to me it is one hell of a big mistake. I know, I'd never do it. After waiting for hours and your number is called, it's not difficult to imagine that the doctor you finally get to see is the assistant of the assistant, or a young person still in training? ....competent or incompetent, how can anyone be sure? Why take a chance? Like the boy-scouts: Be Prepared! Do your homework!

Moniica26

Update to USA Nerd
Stand by high recommendation of Dr. Bhagwan Koirala, of course. On the other hand, invite your attention to not so favorable news report on Bir Hospital just out.  Thought you might want to read article just published in HT 26/03/2108 entitled "Bir Hospital lacks surgery equipment" - Seems that under current conditions, this hospital's cardiology department simply can't keep up with 90 heart patients a day rate. Also, people have to wait a week or more just to get a simple X-ray in that same dept.

dupuis2017

and now, Dr. Govinda K.C.,  that highly respected senior surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, is staging yet another round of strikes to urge reforms in the medical education sector. He wants the nepal parliament to act, stop their dilly-dallying and legislate accordingly. By all counts, that good Dr. must be approaching strike no. 20 overall. Let's hope something comes of it.

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