Clinic Staff

Drona Acharya Awasthi, Lab Assistant. Mr. Awasthi completed his Lab Assistant degree from CICD Campus, Dhangadi. Before joining Nyaya, he worked at Sewa Nursing Home, Attariya. His arrival at Nyaya has nearly doubled the capacity of the free Diagnostic Laboratory, allowing the lab to meet the increasing load in Achham. Mr. Awasthi works with the Lab Technician to conduct quality control of the lab services and has received several trainings to supplement his academic coursework, enabling him to operate the state-of-the art equipment that have been purchased by Nyaya or donated from institutions in the US. Mr. Awasthi is from Kailali, a twelve hour bus ride from Sanfebagar.

Urmila Basnet, ANM, midwife .Ms. Basnet was born in Jajarkot district and moved to Sanfebagar after her marriage. She brings extensive experience in midwifery and family planning to Nyaya. She worked as a a midwife distributing contraceptives and providing counseling for one year for the Dhankuta District Family Planning Association. Following that, she spent five years with Paryojana, an NGO promoting family planning in Achham. Her work focused on pregnant women and involved traveling to remote areas to dispense medications, immunizations and advice on family planning. After that Ms. Basnet spent one year providing care to HIV-positive patients for an HIV/AIDS service organization in Achham. Ms. Basnet, along with the rest of the team of ANMs, operate the free 24-hour birthing center at the Nyaya Health clinic, conduct free antenatal care and counseling and assist in triage and patient flow at the Outpatient Department.

Kansha Bahadur Biswokarma, Helper. Mr. Biswokarma is from Bajura district, an eight-hour walk from Nyaya’s Primary Health Center. He was involved in renovating the then grain shed into the center. He decided to stay in Achham and now provides all-round assistance in all the departments of the center, primarily in the Outpatient Department and the Delivery Suite.

Dhan Bahadur Bogati, OPD Assistant. Mr. Bogati plays a critical role in ensuring efficient patient flow at the Outpatient Department and assists disabled and severely ill patients at the clinic. He is from Masuriya, Kailali, a twelve hour bus ride from Nyaya’s Primary Health Center. Mr. Bogati doubles as a helper at the staff quarters.

Mr. Uday Kshatriya, HA, Health Assistant. Mr. Kshatriya is a health assistant and pharmacist. He worked at a pharmacy for 5 years in Dhangadi, after which he enrolled in a Health Assistant training course, where Dr. Thapa was a lecturer. The three-year proficiency certificate level program in general medicine has equipped Mr. Kshatriya with a strong base in medical knowledge and practice. Upon graduation, he started a pharmacy where he felt limited by being unable to fully utilize his skills as a health assistant. He gladly accepted the position to work at the Nyaya Health primary health center where he is applying his skills as an HA and is serving the people in his community. He sees patients in the Outpatient Department, assists the medical director with procedures and is on-call 24 hours at the center.

Hiusan Kamal, Security Person. Mr. Kamal is from Bayalpata, Achham. He ensures a safe and secure environment at Nyaya’s Primary Health Center during the night hours, primarily for the patients requiring overnight supervision, women in labor and the clinic staff on night duty.

Rambha Kamal, Health Aide. Ms. Kamal is from Bayalpata, Achham. Along with Ms. Tamrakar, she assists the medical staff primarily in the Delivery Suite and with minor surgical procedures. She has received trainings in cleanliness, hygiene and nosocomial infections and is responsible for maintaining sterility of the Delivery Suite.

Kamala Koli, Community Health Worker. Ms. Koli is from Sanfebagar and is in charge of a community of about 1000 people in Mastamandu, Achham. She was nominated by her village’s women’s group because of her commitment to change traditional practice of delivering babies at home after she had an almost fatal experience while delivering her own child. Ms. Koli is involved in the community-based tuberculosis treatment program and along with other CHWs, conducts outreach, follow-up and works in her community to encourage deliveries at Nyaya’s 24-hour Birthing Center.

Sunita (Santu) Kumal, Community Health Worker. Ms. Kumal is one of the few women from her village in Ridikot, Achham who received an opportunity to attend school. She is in charge of the Bayalpata area and in addition to her responsibilities in active case finding, malnutrition assessment in children, outreach and follow-up, she coordinates with the Bayalpata community to discuss and strengthen Nyaya’s plans to renovate and operate an abandoned hospital in Bayalpata, Ridikot.

Lal Bahadur Kunwar, HA, Health Assistant. Mr. Kunwar, orginally from Doti (three hour bus ride from Sanfe Bagar), moved to Dhangadi, where he completed his education in Health Assistant from Bhageswor Academy for Health Science in Dhangadi. Then he worked in Achham at Ghajra Health Post, located in a rural mountain top, two hours walk from our clinic. As a Health Post In-charge, Mr. Kunwar was responsible for the management of the health post and treating patients. He is now applying his experience in working in a rural setting in our Outpatient Department.

Pavitra Kunwar, Community Health Worker. Ms. Kunwar was one of the first CHWs trained and recruited for the community-based tuberculosis treatment program by Nyaya Health. She is from Mastamandu and has been involved in assisting fellow CHWs to learn about the complexities and challenges of community-based care. She was recommended by her village’s women’s group for her commitment to service and has been actively conducting outreach and reaching the homes of tuberculosis patients to deliver life-saving medications.

Radha Kunwar, ANM, midwife. Ms. Kunwar is from Hatti Kot, a two-hour walk from Nyaya’s Primary Health Center. She received her training as an Auxillary Nurse Midwife at Seti Technical Institute, Doti. During the program, she completed a 6 month on-the-job training at STI where she gained valuable experience in midwifery at a respected hospital in the Far-Western Region. Her excellent performance during the training earned her a full-time position at the hospital. After working for a year at the hospital, she decided to come closer to home. She accepted a position with Gangotri, an NGO in Achham, providing community-based care, counseling and referral services for HIV positive patients seeking or undergoing antiretroviral therapy. After a year with Gangotri, she joined Nyaya to become more directly involved in improving maternal health in Achham. Ms. Kunwar, along with the rest of the team of ANMs, operate the free 24-hour birthing center at the center, conduct free antenatal care and counseling and assist in triage and patient flow at the Outpatient Department.

Tara Man Kunwar, HA, Pharmacist. Mr. Kunwar oversees the free pharmacy of Nyaya’s Primary Health Center, where he ensures an efficient supply-chain for pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies. He uses an Electronic Medical Record system to log all the medications dispensed to patients and implements innovative methods to describe dosing and effects of medications to the patients. In addition to being an experienced pharmacist, Mr. Kunwar is trained as a health assistant at Bhageswor Academy for Health Sciences (Dhangadi) where Dr. Thapa was a lecturer. This added skillset allows him to assist the medical staff in emergency procedures at the clinic. Mr. Kunwar was born and raised in Sanfebagar.

Sangeeta Nepali, ANM, midwife. Ms. Nepali received her training as an Auxillary Nurse Midwife at Seti Technical School, Dipayal. She spent 6 months of her course at the District Hospital of Doti. Her excellent professionalism impressed the medical officer but they were unable to hire her given the bureaucratic obstacles to quickly hiring a promising candidate. The hospital staff created a special fund to pay for her salary and she continued to work at Doti hospital for a year. After learning that Nyaya was starting a Primary Health Center in Sanfe, her hometown, she decided to move back to Achham and join the Nyaya team. Ms. Nepali, along with the rest of the team of ANMs, operate the free 24-hour birthing center at the center, conduct free antenatal care and counseling and assist in triage and patient flow at the Outpatient Department.

Kamala Kumari Sharma, ANM, midwife. Ms. Sharma is a resident of Bhageshwor, a 1.5 hour walk from Nyaya’s Primary Health Center. After completing her training as an Auxillary Nurse Midwife at Institute of Community Health, Mahendranagar, she began working as a midwife at the Nepal government sub-health post in Bhageshwor, Achham. She gained a deep understanding of maternal health in the context of rural health and was able to serve members of her home village at the sub-health post. As an ANM at Nyaya, she is extending her services to a much-wider community and has been trained to manage in-clinic and community-based DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course), the WHO-recommended treatment for tuberculosis. In addition to her responsibilities in the tuberculosis program, Ms. Sharma, along with the rest of the team of ANMs, operate the free 24-hour birthing center at the center, conduct free antenatal care and counseling and assist in triage and patient flow at the Outpatient Department.

Chandrika Tamrakar, Health Aide. Ms. Tamrakar is from Bayalpata. She is trained in clinical waste management and sterilizing surgical supplies. Along with Ms. Kamal, she assists the medical staff primarily in the Delivery Suite and with minor surgical procedures.

Dr. Jhapat Bahadur Thapa, MBBS, Medical Director. Dr. Jhapat completed his medical studies (MBBS) from BPKIHS, Dharan in March 2007. As part of his medical training, he rotated through several urban and rural health centers around Nepal as a medical intern. Before assuming responsibilities as the Medical Director of Nyaya Health, he practiced at Seti Hospital, the regional, government referral hospital for the Far-Western Region of Nepal, an administrative region of five million people. At Seti, Dr. Thapa practiced as a generalist and an HIV doctor for the Seti ART Center. He was on the faculty of Bhageswor Academy of Health Sciences, where Uday, Tara Man and Lal Bahadur were students. Dr. Thapa was born in Darna, Achham, an eight-hour walk from Nyaya’s Primary Health Center in Sanfebagar. Dr. Thapa is on-call 24 hours and oversees all medical services of the center.

Santosh Shrestha, DMLT, Medical Lab Technician. Born in Chitwan, Mr. Shrestha has a certificate degree in Medical Lab Technology. He oversees the free Diagnostic Laboratory services at Nyaya’s Primary Health Center. His laboratory was commended as the cleanest and most comprehensive lab in the Far Western Region by regulatory officers from the Nepali Government. Mr. Shrestha is a distance learning student of Bachelor’s in Sociology and Anthropology. He accepted the position of Lab Techinician at Nyaya’s clinic because it allows him to apply his interests in medical laboratory and socio-economic development.

Satya Sunar, Community Health Worker. Ms. Sunar is from Siddheswor, Achham. She acquired extensive experience in community health during her work as child growth promoter with a local NGO DACAW. She was nominated by women’s group in her village to become a CHW for Nyaya because of her experience and her commitment to apply peer education to improve community health. As a CHW she conducts outreach in her village, follows-up patients who are designated as requiring subsequent visits, encourages pregnant women to visit the clinic for checkup and delivery and other community-based programs including the community-based directly observed treatment for tuberculosis.

Gauri Sunar, ANM, Community Health Program Coordinator. Ms. Sunar is based at the Primary Health Center and she operates the Community Health Worker (CHW) program. Her academic training is of an Auxillary Nurse Midwife and she has extensive experience in community health through her work with UNICEF in several villages of Achham. She conducts trainings for Nyaya’s CHWs by focusing on communication, health promotion and the socio-cultural complexities of community health, which complement the medical training provided by the Medical Director. She was born and raised in Bayalpata, Achham.