Cancer Society Nepal- Women's Health Camp

Eye Exams.


Waiting to get a pap smear.




Nothing says Cancer Society health camp like taking a smoke break!



This woman has advanced-stage cataract.


15 of the 75 women tested have mature stage cataract and will soon go blind. This woman's cataract was clearly seen with an old flashlight. I personally looked at both her eyes and what I saw was horrifing. She needs surgery immediately, but can not afford it, of course. A woman in the village- what to do? The main cause of high instances of cataract is smoke fires inside the home. The woman are at the fire cooking and cleaning most of the day.



Lung check-ups for the first time.


Incredible to witness.


Pap smear awareness poster.


Waiting...


Tamang and Llama woman after their tests. Results will be processed and the team will return to plan treatments and arrange care for the women.



Through the generations....


In a two-day health camp sponsored by the national organization, Cancer Society Nepal, eye doctors, gynecologists and cancer specialists visited the surrounding villages of Kakani, Helumbu Region. Women from over 12 villages walked to the Kakani secondary school to get free check-ups and medicine. Conducting eye exams, pap smears, breast examinations, and lung exams, doctors from the only cancer hospital in Chitwan, Nepal, came to the village to create health awareness and diagnose cataract, lung disease and cervical and breast cancer.


This was the first time in this region that pap smears (vaginal examinations) were administered. Women lined up to fill a questionnaire about their health history and their current health concerns. In a small grade 5 classroom, made of stone with a dirt floor, a gynecologist gave each woman a pap smear test and breast examination. The ages of the women ranged from 18-85. None had ever had an exam and most were nervous to step into the room.

It is, of course, suggested that a woman in America get her first cervical examination at the age of 18 or after her first sexual experience. Cervical cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer in the country, with lung cancer and breast cancer second and third, respectively. The chances of getting cervical cancer are very high in the villages due to factors such as, early-age sexual experiences (tied in with early childhood marriage) lack of cleanliness, early-age childbirth, high child/woman rates, and STDs (tied to the lack of condom use). Women cancer patients far exceed men in the country and like all other health care here, cancer treatments are not accessible and very expensive.


We spent the day at the health camp interacting with the women and doctors. Most all of them were illiterate and while answering questions before the tests, many did not even know their names or ages. It was incredible. In the village, age is not important and older women might not know when they were born or how old they were during their first sexual experience or pregnancy. It was an eye-opening experience. As women in America, we are very fortunate to have the facilities and means to stay healthy. Let's remember that....