Interview with Dr. Bibek Banskota
Miracles happen for children at HRDC.
Q: Dr. Bibek Banskota, your father founded HRDC and you’ve followed in his footsteps, becoming the Medical Director of HRDC. What makes HRDC unique?
A: In a low-resource country like Nepal, poor children with disabilities would lead lives of misery and isolation without the services of HRDC – their families are simply too poor to be able to afford treatment. There is no other organization in Nepal that has the networks and expertise to locate the children with disabilities, perform corrective surgery and offer long-term rehabilitation back home in their villages.
Q: How many children does HRDC treat every year?
A: Prior to COVID-19 we were treating an average of 22,000 children, performing approximately 2,500 surgeries, and conducting 66,000 physiotherapy sessions every year. With repeated lockdowns, our numbers have decreased this year, but we’ve pivoted to telemedicine to ensure all children undergoing treatment receive ongoing care. The hospital and 4 satellite centers remain open and we are continuing to see patients and perform operations using PCR tests and protective clothing. The number of surgeries will increase once COVID-19 is no longer a threat – our services are desperately needed, and we transform children’s lives.
Q: Can you tell us how HRDC manages to accomplish all of the critical work involved?
A: As a Nepali-run organization that treats children who often cannot pay for the services, we have forged strong alliances with a number of organizations to ensure ongoing sustainability. Robust partnerships have been built with the government, at the Central, Provincial, and Local levels. Our connection with the private B&B Hospital ensures HRDC with specialized orthopedic surgical and radiology services. And, our relationships with local NGO’s and INGO’s mobilize important resources and collaboration. Our ability to leverage all of our partnerships is one of HRDC’s great strengths
Dr. Bibek Banskota and team assessing children in remote villages.
Q: If you were to sum up HRDC in one sentence, what would that be?
A: Doing so much for so little. We maximize every single rupee so we can treat as many children as possible. We created an in-house prosthetic and orthotic department which uses locally available materials to manufacture 6,000+ appliances and devices a year. Our partnership with the local government resulted in a deep well for water for the hospital. We’ve created an organic garden to help feed patients and staff, and we’ve installed solar panels at the hospital to keep costs low. And, every year we train 120 people in clubfoot management and Primary Rehabilitation Therapy, building a strong bench of paramedical staff throughout the country.
I have to add two more words to the sentence, though: Doing so much for so little with compassion. My father founded HRDC because he knew he had the skills to help the poorest disabled children in Nepal. He has been the driving force behind HRDC for 35 years and the compassionate, family like atmosphere is felt by everyone who comes to HRDC, from the patients to the staff. The feeling of kindness and belonging is indescribable
Q: What’s your vision for the future?
A: In the next twenty years HRDC will hold firm to its culture of accountability and transparency – something my father ingrained from day one. We’ll continue to refine all of our systems so we can optimize every resource. And, we’ll grow responsibly by building new partnerships and mobilizing resources around the globe. Our model of care in a low-resource country is a blueprint for excellence.