Our Charity Work
Supporting Healthcare Training in Nepal
Cariad Medic – Historical Overview
Cariad Medic is a not-for-profit volunteer organisation co-founded by Michael G Smith of Exult Medical and composed of emergency care professionals from around the United Kingdom. Our objective is to use our knowledge and experience to teach the latest evidence-based practice to less developed and remote emergency care services around the world.
Our involvement in Nepal originated following a volunteer project in 2013 working in Tamakoshi Hospital, Manthali. It was acknowledged that there was minimal specialist emergency care training, especially in rural areas for Nepal.
The team have carried out various projects around Nepal, including working with Dr. Sanu Krishna Shrestha (emergency department consultant) in Dhulikhel in 2014 and 2015. These projects looked at assisting with the development of Dhulikhel Emergency Medical Services (DEMS) and pre-hospital care in the area. We were able to donate specialist equipment which the DEMS team have put into operation since.
The Dhulikhel project was successfully expanded in 2019; on this occasion, teaching our standard emergency care course followed by a specially designed pre-hospital care course, allowing students to learn and share knowledge about the challenges that are likely to be faced as ambulance staff. This course included the use of an Automated External Defibrillator which Cariad Medic were able to donate.
Emergency Care for Nurses and Midwives
Our 2017 project saw a return to Tamakoshi Hospital Manthali where we provided mass casualty training as well as our Emergency Patient Assessment and Management course (EPAM); we also provided this training at collages in Jiri, Charikot and Bhaktapur.
In 2019 we delivered training again in Charikot and Bhaktapur as new cohorts of students attend the collage there every year.
Disaster Planning for Hospitals
Upon a previous request from the hospital managers at Doctor Iwamura Memorial Hospital Bhaktapur following the 2015 earthquake, we prepared and delivered a new Preparedness, Resilience & Response course developed by specialists at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. This course was designed to better prepare medical facilities in the event of a major incident and is aimed at medical professionals, administrative and manager level staff whose responsibilities would include running hospitals and remote health posts. The course has been very well received and we delivered our Mass Casualty Triage training alongside this.
Ministry Training Project
In 2019 Michael was invited by the Ministry of Social Development, in collaboration with Hatemalo Abhiyan Nepal, to help deliver basic level emergency care and health promotion training across the whole of Gandaki Province. This involved teaching in government schools and local police stations seven days per week over a two month period. This was a logistically challenging itinerary where the small team travelled by bus, motorbike, 4X4 vehicles and on foot trekking through jungle to reach some of the most remote communities in the Himalayan foot hills.
Manageing the Unconscious Patient
Michael trips and collapses to the ground unconscious in ever increasingly dramatic ways in front of a shocked class of students, teachers, and other members of the local communities. This part of the course forced the learners to recall the mornings teaching and apply those skills on the spot, reminding them that emergencies can happen anytime and without warning.
Tackling health education in Nepal - Hatemalo Abhiyan Nepal (HAN)
HAN is a fantastic organisation established by Nepali doctors to overcome Nepal’s own health problems country wide. It’s an ambitious goal but the team is extremely driven and have achieved so much in just a few years of operating. This approach of Nepali nationals leading change is inherently sensitive to their unique culture when tackling these country specific challenges. They are addressing public health directly wherever the need is greatest, from hygiene awareness, to first aid training in schools, to medical training for police and army. Exult are pleased to be one of those supporting this charity and we hope that it will be an inspiration for others like this.
Click on the links below to read more about what they do.
Regulatory Bodys
Supported Charities
