Tibetan Medicine Clinics for Drayab County

At the request of our partners in Tibet, Yuthok YondenGonpo Medical Association, and of  Dru gu Choegyal Rinpoche, Heart of Asia is establishing two Tibetan Herbal Medicine Clinics in two very remote villages (Ra De and Lachung Nang) in Drayab County, near Chamdo, inside Tibet Autonomous Region. Tibetan Herbal Medicine Doctors from the Drayab area will run the clinics. One was trained by, and worked with Dr Lodre Phuntsok, head of  YYMA NGO and of Dzongsar Menkhang. The other doctor is a gifted Khempo who also practices Tibetan Herbal Medicine and who was recommended by Dru gu Choegyal Rinpoche.

In Drayab County 90% of the population are nomads and farmers with no access to local healthcare of any kind. From the villages where our clinics are being built it can take 3 days by horse and bus to reach the nearest medical facility and generally the local people can barely afford to pay for medical treatment or the transport to get there. There is also an all too common language problem: the villagers do not speak Chinese, the Medical personnel to not speak Tibetan and there are cases of misdiagnosis and incorrect medication.
The benefits of establishing herbal medicine clinics in these remote areas are ease of access to a Tibetan speaking Doctor who can deliver inexpensive traditional Tibetan health care – saving time and money. The herbs necessary to make the medicines grow all around the area and the Doctors have been thoroughly trained in the gathering and production of the medicines. They will also provide essential check ups for people in the community - particularly pregnant women, babies and people with chronic health conditions.

Clinic 1 in RaDe village has cost £11,000 to implement, with local people providing some free manual labour as their contribution. £1,250 will pay for the clinic’s annual running costs, covering the Doctor’s wages and fuel to heat the clinic in the very cold Tibetan winters.

• Ten people donating £11 a month will pay for the clinic’s annual running costs.

Clinic 2 in Lachung Nang village will cost £10,000 to implement by 2012, at an approximate annual cost of £2,650.

• Ten people donating £22 a month will help us cover the clinics annual building cost.