Program detail

Dental Clinic establishment Proposal detail:  NPO Nepal is fundraising for a community dental clinic for children, treatment, and oral health education in rural Nepal. We request your donation to establish the dental clinic as soon as possible. Any contribution is greatly appreciated and important.

Estimated budget for the Dental Clinic establishment:  NPR 250,0000. ( About $ 19000. )

 Why need dental clinic / Need Assessment: A good quality of life is the most important need for people. However, many people are suffering from treatable oral health issues in rural Nepal, because of a lack of dental health infrastructure and poor livelihoods in these remote areas. Many village people are unable to go to oral check-ups and treat things such as toothaches, because of the long distance to city clinics and financial barriers. Oftentimes, villagers seek treatment when the pain is unbearable and it is too late and costly to perform an otherwise simple treatment. Oral hygiene is critical for people to maintain a good quality of life, but also for young people to develop confidence as they seek good education and jobs in the future.

Now, there is no established dental clinic in the Makalu or Bhotkhola rural areas. It is important to establish this dental clinic in Simma for oral health care education, prevention awareness, and emergency toothache treatment.

Every time NPO team members go to the villages in the Makalu and Bhotkhola area, people ask for toothache relief medicines. Sometimes we are able to give personal pain relief medication, but we are not doctors and are unable to help beyond this simple short-term solution. Many older villagers who are losing teeth must change their diet because they are unable to eat foods that are too hard, such as corn and some meats.

In December 2022, NPO volunteering member Dr. Watanabe Norihiko, Japanese dentist, went to research oral health conditions in the Makalu rural area. Dr. Norihiko checked the condition of children from 12 schools and many adults and found that, on average, 75% of the people had oral issues and were requesting relief medicine, while more intensive treatment and equipment was required to solve the issues long-term.

Oral health awareness is required to prevent toothaches from evolving into serious problems. There is more junk food and sweet snacks in rural Nepal than ever before, and children and adults do not have good habit of brushing properly. Additionally, chewing tobacco is causing oral diseases without people knowing.

Beneficiaries area &  population:  The population of Makalu Rural Municipality wards 1-6 and Bhotkhola Rural Municipality wards 1-6 is about 23,420. Currently, none of these people have access to emergency oral healthcare. The dental clinic would serve Rai, Sherpa, Gurung, Tamang, Bhote, Lhomi, Kami, Damai, Sarki, Chhetri, and Bahun people. Population continues to grow annually because of a lack of family planning education. Family planning education is slowly improving due to previous NPO projects that build health posts in this rural region.

Project Goals The goal of this project is to establish a dental clinic to facilitate education services and provide timely care and treatment to the large population in the Makalu and Bhotkhola Rural Municipalities. This dental clinic will save childrens’ teeth and give proper education to improve quality of life with decreased oral issues.

Project Outcomes:

1. Purchase and manage dental equipment for toothache treatments.
2. Employ experienced dental staff. NPO volunteer member and dentist Dr. Norihiko will support these efforts and offer free services for village check-ups and manage staff hiring.
3. Local villagers will be involved who are interested in contributing and supporting the clinic establishment and mission.
4. Help more than 23,420 people get timely treatment before worsening oral conditions.
5. Able to go to every villages Schools for the children free oral health check up & give education to prevent the tooth damage, teach how to proper brushing etc.
6. Travel to every village school to provide free, on-site oral health check ups and oral hygiene education for children.
7. Provide emergency toothache treatment facilities.
8. Northern Sankhuwasabha district’s two rural municipality area’s people get easily  oral health care service awareness.
9. Easier access to oral health care for northern Sankhuwasabha district residents from Makalu and Bhotkhola Rural Municipalities
10. Time and cost saving for patients in remote areas. Time and cost to access health facilities often constitute a major obstacle to seeking care.  For emergency situation the village people should not go to many days travel to city hospitals for treatment.  These indirect costs can be so high as to be catastrophic for the financial stability of a household.
11. Save time and cost for Makalu and Sankhuwasabha Rural Municipality residents. Travel time and high costs accessing health facilities in nearby cities is a major obstacle to seeking oral care. In emergency situations, this extra travel time can make treatment “too late,” and the high costs can be catastrophic to the financial stability of a household.

Impacts:  All village peoples will get quick toothache relief treatment, do not suffer longer by toothache or oral illness. Get good  oral health care education. Village people should not go to far way city hospital  to toothache treatment ,  especially it will be great benefiting for poor family children & people.  The Dental Clinic able to serve for people teeth damaging control awareness , on time treatment and  save the  financial  & time to go far way travel etc.

All 23,420 rural people will get quick access to critical toothache treatment and relieve suffering. Good oral hygiene education will be provided to establish good habits and prevent further avoidable oral issues. Poor families will save time and money accessing nearby oral care. Emergency treatment can be provided before it is too late.

Sustainability: Sustainability of  oral health  care service and toothache treatment is a major aspect considered for this project. The experienced dentist and staffs will be employed at the dental clinic for regular service.  Additionally our Japanese volunteer member Dentist Watanabe Norihiko wants to support for the villages children and people oral health free check up for better oral health improvement as possible. This project is developed, implemented and practiced in a sustainable way. Investment in the clinic will result in well health institution establishment for future generation. Village peoples mental and physical energy and children’s ability to take advantage of  oral health educational and hygienic opportunities. who will then mutually coordinate to solve the issues. In this way, the project will be sustainable.

It is important that this dental clinic is set up for long-term success. Experienced dental staff will be employed for regular services. Additionally, Dr. Norihiko will be available during semi-regular village visits for free check-ups and clinic management.

Investments in the clinic will result in a well organized and maintained health institution for future generations, and will vastly improve the quality of life for decades to come. Additionally, educated village people will help neighbors understand dental hygiene, so the aid will become mutually cooperative. In this way, the dental clinic will be sustainable for generations to come.

Geographical location: Sankhuwasabha District is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. The district’s area is 3,480 km² with a population of 159,203 in 2001 and 158,742 in 2011. Makalu & Bhotkhola is a Rural Municipality out of five rural municipality located in Sankhuwasabha District of Province No. 1 of Nepal. According to Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development Makalu has an area of 519.45 square kilometers (200.56 sq. mi) and the total population of the Municipality is 13,204 as of Census of Nepal 2011.

Sankhuwasabha is one of the least developed places in Nepal. Being in Himalayan region, the infrastructures including transportation are very less developed in this district. This has made living very difficult in these regions. It is so far in terms of development that there is very less population that is 46 people for km².  Those who are living in Sankhuwasabha lives in extreme poverty. Due to poor economic status, many people travel to neighboring countries, Tibet and China to make living and are vulnerable. The main caste group residing in this region are Chhetri, Rai, Tamang, Kulung, Sherpa, Kirat Rai, Gurung and so on. The poverty rate of Sankhuwasabha is 26% and literacy rate is 69% which is back in terms of development and it needs more health care service center in the Makalu and Bhotkhola Rural Municipality area