Inspiration
American couple help establish a clinic in remote Himalayan Mountains
A couple from Great Falls are helping establish a clinic in rural India in Leh. It is a gruelling travel of close to 24 hours from Leh to reach there. Not only will they carry the first medical supplies from New Delhi but Dr. Vicky Chapman will also use her expertise as a gynaecologist to offer cerv
Come May 29, Great Falls Obstetrician/Gynaecologist Vicki Chapman and her husband, Dugan Coburn, will begin an epic journey to bring hope and health to a remote corner of India. Working with the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation, the couple will bring the first medical resources to a new hospital set to open in the village of Padum, located in the Himalayan Mountains.
“We’re definitely excited about it,” Coburn said. But it’s going to take a tremendous effort to get there and get the medical supplies needed in New Delhi before taking a flight to Leh, then a two-day jeep ride 12 hours each day through the mountains to arrive in the Zanskar region.
Coburn and Chapman became familiar with the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation more than 10 years ago when attending a yoga retreat at the Featherpipe Ranch outside of Helena and ever since they have held fundraisers to raise money to support the different efforts the agency has undertaken to provide health care and education in some of the most remote corners of the globe.
The couple made a trip to northern India in 2010 for the first time and fell in love with the area. So when Hellermann approached the couple and asked them if they’d like to take part in establishing this new hospital in Padum it was an opportunity both just couldn’t say no to.
They will be in Padum for more than a month, with Chapman offering cervical screenings to women and Coburn working as a lab technician and assisting with cultural planning. Chapman said cervical cancer is the No. 1 killer of women in India because it goes undiagnosed – even in the urban areas.
Photo Courtesy:Chapman
“It’s so clear that there’s this huge element of the population that has little or no access to health care,” Chapman said. “We’ll do whatever we can do while we’re there.”
Hellermann went with a team in 2014 to survey the area and see what sort of medical needs were there. She said they had the good fortune of getting an audience with the Dalai Lama, who encouraged them to press forward with the work.
With a contribution from the Dalai Lama Fund and support of the Zanskar Health Committee, construction on the hospital began as soon as possible. The building is up and is expected to be ready to occupy when this latest team arrives, Hellermann said.
Photo Courtesy: Dugan Coburn
In addition to Chapman’s cervical screenings, doctors will provide screenings for paediatric heart defects as well as heart disease and screenings for adults with gastric problems.
When asked what was it that made them go to that place again. Dugan says, “When you look into the children’s eyes, they’re just so bright”, at this point it is difficult to not observe that his eyes are brighter than before.