“Give a man a fish, and you have fed him once. Teach him how to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

Having identified a need to improve the standard of orthopaedic equipment and teaching in Nepal, we decided to help deliver as much orthopaedic surgical equipment as we could carry with each visit to Nepal and to teach orthopaedic clinical and surgical skills as we would do here in UK.

Nepal ranks 157th of the worlds poorest countries out of 189 countries. Having established an orthopaedic link with 6 “teaching hospitals” in Nepal in two cities namely Kathmandu and Chitwan, we set up a strategy to try and improve the general orthopaedic and trauma care in these 2 cities.

We realized a parachute technique to deliver aid would at best be a short term sticking plaster. We decided to set up at least a 10 year programme of aid and teaching. In 2013 we made our first visit delivering £0.5M of used orthopaedic surgical equipment. A team of 12 consisting 2 orthopaedic surgeons, an orthotist, a theatre practitioner a consultant anaesthetist and several others made a huge impact on teaching and delivering care.

Since then our group has expanded with at least 10 committed Orthopaedic Consultants and senior trainees, implant company representatives and physiotherapists.
In 2014 and 2015 we carried out Orthopaedic camps seeing up to 150 patients in clinics, special needs schools and children’s rehabilitation centres. We deliver about £0.5M worth of used orthopaedic equipment and implants donated by several orthopaedic implant companies, teach surgical techniques in 6 hospitals and deliver lectures and dry bone workshops to demonstrate surgical techniques with these equipment. In operating theatres we demonstrate latest techniques on severely deformed patients or those with complex trauma.

In order to further develop teaching, surgeons from Nepal are encouraged to visit us here in UK as Observers and Fellows in our Orthopaedic units. In March 2016 we had our first Nepali Fellow, to be closely followed by a further 2 in August and September 2016.

Neverest Orthopaedic Foundation usually visits Nepal for 2 weeks in October/November of each year with an ever expanding group of like minded individuals, keen to deliver aid and teaching in Nepal.

In 2015 following on from the devastating earthquake, The Neverest Orthopaedic Foundation decided to help further in the wider community where our patients come from. We decided to sponsor an orphanage and pay for the education of 10 orphan girls, in Kathmandu, help sponsor a women’s refuge and help to build a new spinal rehabilitation unit in Chitwan.

We have enlisted the help of local politicians in both Chitwan and Kathmandu by involving The Mayor of Derby and trying to twin these cities with Derby City here in UK. We hope to try and improve the infrastructure in these two great cities to improve the lives of those living in these cities and raising awareness more globally.