Updates from our cancer center in Janakpurdham, Nepal

One of our biggest ongoing projects is the continued development and expansion of our 25-bed cancer center in Janakpurdham, Nepal, which will provide services to more than 20,000 patients from southeast Nepal and the nearby Indian state of Bihar.

“Working at the Binaytara Foundation Cancer Center (BTFCC) was different from working at other hospitals in Janakpurdham,” Dr. Rakesh Sah, chief house officer at BTFCC, shares. “Here I had a chance to learn about the standards of care for the patient; we do not compromise anything on patient care here.”

The hospital opened its doors in December 2018 and currently has 25 beds, but we are on the path to breaking ground for our 200-bed facility soon (stay tuned for exciting updates!). BTFCC offers many specialties, including medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiology, anesthesiology, general medicine, intensive care, palliative care, preventive services, and emergency services. We are also supporting cervical cancer screening through our Project SISTER.

“This mass screening [program], which has the involvement of Women Health Volunteers, is one of a kind screening program in Nepal,” Dr. Rajiv Keshari, the head of the oncology department at BTFCC, explains. “This is the first city-wide screening program for cervical cancer in Nepal, and BTFCC providers have screened hundreds of women.”

Currently, services at BTFCC include an active outpatient clinic with outpatient chemotherapy capabilities and full pharmacy supports to ensure the delivery of safe chemotherapy, inpatient management of patients, surgery services, an intensive care unit, and laboratory and radiology services among others. BTFCC is committed to upgrading laboratory, pathology, and radiology services. Improvement in these services will expedite diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients who present to the hospital. Furthermore, to ensure accurate collection and sharing of patient medical data, we have set up our own secure online electronic health record. In fact, BTFCC is one of the few hospitals in Nepal to have electronic medical records.

“My work at BTFCC has made me more fully appreciate the importance of a detailed history and physical examination and, as the necessity of proper documentation,” Dr. Oshin Shestha, a medical officer at BTFCC, adds.

“Passion for medical care keeps me motivated to become the best physician I can be,” Dr. Keshari shares. “Many patients with cancer in Nepal are diagnosed with advanced cancer and we are devoted to improving their chances of survival.” He also added, “That through current diagnostic and treatment advances and support from renowned oncologists (who are part of the Binaytara Foundation’s virtual tumor board committee) I feel inspired and have the strength of many to accept the challenges of clinical care.” This is a sentiment that all the doctors at BTFCC share.

If you would like to support Binaytara Foundation Cancer Center, please visit our website to learn more and find out how you can help support our mission.