HAPE-KERKELING-CLINIC

Can you think of any other clinic in the world that is painted so colourfully? After suffering from leprosy, artists Jogendra and his wife, Reika, worked together with many other Shanti painters to create a masterpiece!
Bright, friendly, clean and functional: patient rooms at the clinic.
A paraplegic woman in her retreat.
Recreation: playing board games.
Nap time!
Jogendra and Reika use a freehand technique to paint the walls.

ENSURING BASIC CARE

The Hape Kerkeling Clinic currently holds more than 70 beds for those who require permanent medical attention. At the moment, all of the beds are occupied by patients in need of care. Thus, there is hardly any capacity for acute emergencies.

Those in need of help are primarily those suffering from leprosy as well as the elderly, needy and severely disabled people. Either they were brought here by relatives or hear of the clinic and made their way to the station.

Many people who receive care at Shanti are former beggars from the nearby district around the temple of Pashupathinath, where the poorest of the poor traditionally begged for alms.

Oftentimes sick people come from faraway regions throughout the country because they've heard that they can find refuge at Shanti in Kathmandu.

INDEPENDENT FROM POWER CUTS

On every floor of the clinic are shower stalls with warm water for showering – it's a “luxury” that not a single public clinic in Kathmandu can offer. Shanti owes this to a generous donation from the Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation, which allowed for photovoltaic panels and solar cells to be installed on the clinic's rooftop.

The photovoltaic system makes the clinic independent from the general power grid, which is interrupted for up to 16 hours daily in Kathmandu due to power cuts.

The solar system supplies the entire clinic with warm water.

Patients who can no longer walk are given wheelchairs and crutches donated from Germany.

Many patients meet during the day on the large rooftop terrace. Those who can assist with caring for the bedridden or get involved in an employment programme.