Kunde Hospital

Kunde Hospital (sometimes Khunde Hospital, Hindi: कुन्दे अस्पताल) is a hospital in the town of Kunde, Nepal, that serves 8,000 people from Khumbu district. It is situated 3,840 metres (12,600 ft) above sea level and was founded by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1966. The hospital was funded and operated by The Himalayan Trust until 1976 and is now supported by the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation.[1][2][3][4]

Kunde Hospital
Kunde Hospital, Nepal
Geography
LocationKunde, Khumbu District, Nepal
Coordinates27.823764°N 86.704767°E / 27.823764; 86.704767
Organisation
FundingThe Himalayan Trust
PatronSir Edmund Hillary
Services
Emergency departmentYes 24 Hours
Beds12
HelipadNo
History
OpenedDecember 18, 1966
Links
ListsHospitals in Nepal

History
Sir Edmund Hillary

After Hillary climbed Everest in 1953, he led many further expeditions to Nepal. From the early 1960s, these expeditions had a focus on improving the health and social welfare of the people of Nepal, including the improvement of water supplies, the building of schools, bridges and an airstrip at Lukla, and the provision of medical care and a programme of vaccination against smallpox.[1][4]

In 1966, Hillary, with overseas volunteers and local people, built the hospital at Kunde. The hospital opened on December 18, 1966, when Dr John McKinnon and Diane McKinnon, of New Zealand, became the first volunteer couple to staff the hospital. The hospital was initially staffed by overseas volunteers from New Zealand and Canada, provided through the Volunteer Service Abroad organisation and later by The Himalayan Trust and the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation Canada. Since 2002, it has been wholly staffed and run by local people. The hospital has 12 beds.[2][3]

References
  1. Heydon, Susan (1 November 2003). "From Mount Everest to Kunde Hospital: Susan Heydon looks at the work of Sir Edmund Hillary in Nepal". New Zealand International Review. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  2. Jolly, Joanna (14 November 2009). "Sherpa hospital in Himalayan heights". BBC News. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  3. "Kunde Hospital". The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  4. Heydon, Susan (1 June 2007). "'HIGH PLACES': SIR EDMUND HILLARY,THE SHERPA AND HEALTH SERVICES IN THE MT EVEREST AREA OF NEPAL" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
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