UK FRIENDS OF BHAKTAPUR CANCER HOSPITAL
(UKFOBCH)
MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD
ON 5 JULY AT
23 Elm Tree Drive
WINGERWORTH, CHESTERFIELD
1. Members Present Bibek Pradhan (Chairman), Basanta Shrestha, Subarna
Shrestha, Guest Padam Rai, Member, UKFOBCH
2. Apologies None
3. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 21 July 2007 Read and
approved.
4. Matters Arising None
5. Report on Bibeks Visit to Nepal during September/October 2007 This was
given on the Interim Report distributed by Bibek on 6 November 2007. The
Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital has allocated a new site for Smriti Bhawan and
Chairman Gopal of BCH-SBC (Smriti Bhawan Sub-Committee) has promised to resume
the promotion of project, organise new site planning and further fund raising.
The Committee showed confidence in raising the original target of Rs.2 Crore
once the construction started.
6. Correspondence with BCH-SBC
- On 12 October 2007 Chairman Gopal sent me copy of his letter he has written
to the donors and prospective donors with latest information on the project and
appealing for new donations.
- On 6 January 2008 Gopal wrote to me that the progress had been slow due to
personal circumstances but he was going to devote himself with more time from
2nd week of January.
- On 3 March 2008 Secretary Nugal sent me a copy of the notice for the meeting
on 4th to discuss the new site plan with BCH Management Committee. I requested
him to send me a copy of the new site plan with drawings but I did not receive
one. Normally he always sent me a copy of the minutes of the Committee meetings
but he did not do that time.
- On 25 March I wrote to Chairman Gopal requesting him to send me a report on
the status of the project along with copy of financial report to include in my
annual report to UK Charity Commission but I did not get a reply.
- On 17 April Subarna Shrestha, executive member, during his visit to Nepal
met Chairman Gopal in Kathmandu who reassured him that the project was
progressing well.
7. Correspondence with America Nepal Medical Foundation (ANMF)
- On 17 April 2008 Project manager in US Gaury wrote to me that he has received
a new donation but he is frustrated not having received any feed back from
BCH-SBC to prepare a report for ANMF meeting in order to continue fund raising.
- On 23 June Gaury again informed me that he still had not received any letter
from Chairman Gopal in Nepal and he could not prepare a report for the AGM of
ANMF.
8. Correspondence with Cancer Upachar Dan (CUD) Committee in Nepal
- On 25 May 2008 CUD Committee Chairman Pushkar Sakya arranged to send the
latest report on CUD through BCH which consisted of two parts
- List of patients who received free treatment during the year 2007 There were
121 patients in total treated at BCH under CUD which is very impressive. The
patients came from all over Nepal including remotest areas. The commonest
cancers noted are lungs, breast and cervix and age group showed the maximum
number between the ages of 40 and 50 which is much below the prevalent age group
of 55 to 75 in developed countries.
- The financial statement showed a very healthy balance of Rs.2,714,294.69 on 28
May 2008. Recently a British lady left a legacy of £2,000 in her will for BCH
and it was paid to UKFOBCH on 4 June to help cancer patients in Nepal. This is
equivalent to Rs.270,000 and it is allocated to CUD programme.
9. Financial Statement UKFOBCH has two accounts with CAF (Charity Aid
Foundation) Bank. I presented the original bank copies at the meeting which are
as follows
- CAF Gold Account Balance - £15440.27
- CAF Check Book Account - £2991.21
- Recent credit - £2000.00
This gives a total of £20,431.48 which includes donations for Smriti Bhawan
Project, donations for Cancer Upachar Dan and General Benevolent Fund
transferred from Mansfield Rotary Club.
10. Annual Report to UK Charity Commission This job has been made easier from
this year with facility to update electronically.
- Report for 01 January 2008 I submitted it online on 11 June and UKCC has
acknowledged it.
11. IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) I had the latest information
through its Website.
- IAEA has approved Nepals membership application in October 2007 and IAEA is
still waiting for ratification by US State Department.
- The offer from IAEA to provide BCH with new Cobalt Source and help with ten
years development plan with equipment and training still stand.
- Recently I met Aileen Flavin who is a Consultant Oncologist practicing in
Wales. Aileen is going to work voluntarily at BCH for six month from coming
November. Aileen has worked very recently at IAEA Head Office in Vienna and she
would be a good liaison between BCH and IAEA as she has personal contacts,
especially if Nepal becomes a member officially during her stay at Bhaktapur.
12. Observations at the meeting and the decisions
- It is very regrettable that we had no communications from BCH-SBC to know the
status of the Project. Although it is exceptionally unusual for the Committee
not to respond, it might reflect on one or two things. The political situation
in Nepal has been very volatile with disruptions on every aspect of life.
Secondly all the active members of the Project are Rotarians and the Rotarians
have been very busy recently with pre-occupation on once in lifetime event of
inauguration of new Rotary District in Nepal. So we do not know the true reason
why the Project has been stalled especially if there were other local
difficulties.
- Fortunately Dr. Basant Shrestha, member of Executive Committee, is travelling
to Nepal on 8 July for three weeks. He is going to meet Chairman of Hospital
Diwakar and Chairman of BCH-SBC Gopal personally and he will bring back first
hand information on the status of the Project. This will help me to prepare a
true report for the benefit of all donors in UK and US.
- UKFOBCH initiated this Project in Jul 2004 as a 3-year Project and it is
already on its 4th year. Donors are not happy here and I am sure they are not in
US and Nepal. So the time has come to appraise sincerely whether the Project is
viable or not and whether we should decide on dissolution of the Project and
return the money to the donors. I am visiting Nepal on 2 September for 4 weeks
and I will be in a position to discuss this matter with BCH Management Committee
and BCH-SBC and we will make a combined decision whether to dissolve the Project
or carry on.
- Cancer Upachar Dan This is a very successful Project supported by Rotarians
of UK, local British people, Nepalese expats in UK, ANMF and Rotary in Nepal.
The fact that 121 poor cancer patients received free treatment in one year is a
great humanitarian service otherwise we can imagine the inevitable consequences
of cancer on these poor patients. At present UKFOBCH is the only party which is
actively fund raising for this Project and perhaps we should promote once again
through ANMF in US and Rotary in Nepal. ANMF Webmaster Dr. Fred Shepardson
helped in the past and he might do it again with this encouraging report. This
meeting commends the good work of CUD Committee in Nepal in general and BCH
Scrutinising Committee in particular.
- UKFOBCH AGM 2008 due this month Under the circumstances the meeting decided
to postpone the AGM until after the feed back from Basant this month and
probably after Bibek returns from Nepal by the end of September.
13. Any Other Business Last month I invited Duncan Gilbert and his wife Gail,
Nicky Clements and Aileen Flavin for a weekend get together and to discuss
helping BCH in future and the out come are
- Duncan is the Consultant Oncologist at Royal Marsden Hospital who worked
voluntarily at BCH for six months in 2006. He informed me that another Medical
Physicist has volunteered to work at BCH soon. Duncan is also planning to work
for a short spell at BCH again in 2009. Duncan and I discussed the possibility
of association between Royal Marsden in London and BCH to help further training
for staff at BCH routinely.
- Nicky Clements is the Medical Physicist at Royal Marsden who worked
voluntarily at BCH last year. She has been to speak to her local Rotary Club on
her experience at BCH. The Club was very impressed and promised to contribute
£1,000 towards the travel cost of her colleague Physicist who is going to work
at BCH. The Club also decided to take up a major Project for BCH through their
Rotary District of the amount of £50,000.
- Aileen Flavin got very encouraged to learn about first hand experiences of
Duncan and Nicky on working at BCH.
14. Date and venue of next meeting To be decided later.
Bibek Pradhan 10 July 2008
Copies:
- All members of UKFOBCH
- Diwakar Rajkarnikar, Chairman, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital Management Committee
- Rajendra Baral, Medical, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital
- Gopal Kakshapati, Chairman, Smriti Bhawan Committee
- Nugal Vaidya, Secretary, Smriti Bhawan Commitee
- Gaury Adhikary, Project Manager, US
- Fred Shepardson, Webmaster, America Nepal Medical Foundation
- Pushkar Shakya, Chairman, Cancer Upachar Dan Committee
- Ananta Dhoubdel, Chairman, CUD Scrutinising Committee
- David Hurman, Advisor, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital
- Duncan Gilbert, Volunteer worker at BCH, Royal Marsden Hospital