From: Dr. Duncan Smith-Rohrberg Maru
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008
To: Dr. Richard Katzman
Subject: Nyaya Health Clinic in Achham

Dear Dr. Katzman,

Yesterday after about a year of pushing and pulling with the government and other sorts of preparations, we finally opened our clinic doors. We are trying to keep the patient load down, but thats hard; 8 patients on day 1; 24 patients on day 2, including one newly diagnosed HIV positive. Is really amazing, we don't just have an all-Nepali staff but an all-Achhami one (even medical director Dr. Jhapat Thapa, a colleague of Dr. Bijay's from BPKIHS). We do have unpaid leadership on-site consisting from outside Achham--Tenzing Tekan (from KTM), Dr. Bijay (Pokhara), starting next month his brother Bibhav, and Ana (laboratory specialist from Portugal). I unfortunately could not be there for the opening as I had to return to the states for now. But the team sounds very positive and we communicate regularly via their VSAT internet system.

We'll be sending the formal glossy updates to you all in a few weeks, but I just wanted to email you personally a note of thanks for spiritually /philosophically supporting us during this time when very few people believed in us. I remember those conversations we had several months ago. We all really appreciate it. Well, anyone can open a clinic, lets see if your faith in us was warranted as we try to improve and sustain services, and empower the local community boards to lobby the central government to improve the responsiveness of the health system on the whole...

Best wishes to your family,

Duncan