The Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal, a non profit organization which operates medical clinics at Pheriche and Manang began conducting a medical clinic at Everest Base Camp in spring 2003, staffed by physicians with previous high altitude experience.

The camp sets up service on or around April 1 of each year and remains at EBC until the end of spring climbing season (end of May.) The experienced medical staff treats all climbers and staff at EBC for a fee (similar to the operations at Manang and Pheriche) and will treats trekkers visiting base camp as well. In 2004 we collected advance funds from participating teams that allowed unlimited physician consultations to each climber, allowing budgeting for expedition teams and insurance for our clinic operations. Our new clinic gives climbers and trekkers the freedom to pursue their missions and leave their health care needs to the professionals, and obviates the need to bring along a personal expedition physician. Of course, our mission to provide low cost medical care the native Nepali carries on at the EBC clinic as well.

Our staff is based at EBC and will not climb with any team, even in the event of emergency. Any medical emergencies occurring at advanced camps will be expected to be dealt with by the individual team in the usual manner. In addition, the HRA clinic will not supply teams with medications for their summit attempts. We will, of course, provide any radio or other non-climbing assistance we can from our base in case of emergency.

We hope that the clinic will be a permanent entity at Everest. If there becomes sufficient demand, services may be expanded to fall climbing season as well.

Like wise Dr. Ken Zafren visited Pheriche Aid-post and Everest Base Camp Medical clinic this spring 2004. During this time Dr. Zafren visited HRA head office, meet the HRA staff and Chairman Mr. Ang Kaji Sherpa and General Secretary Mr. K. D. Khwanju. Dr. Zafren was very happy about the improvement made at the Pheriche Aid-post and the medical clinic at the Everest Base Camp. He thinks that the EBC clinic is another pioneering step of HRA which has become successful by the tireless effort of Dr. Luanne freer.

Volunteers are selected from a pool of previous HRA volunteers at our Manang or Pheriche posts. For more volunteer information, please follow the link.

For more information about the clinic and to follow our daily progress in base camp, visit our home webpage at www.BaseCampMD.com.

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