Behind every treatment is a story of courage, compassion, and recovery. Our patients' journeys inspire us every day - from life-saving surgeries to transformative rehabilitation, each story reflects our commitment to making a lasting difference in people's lives.
At just five years old, little Aksha arrived at Sushma Koirala Memorial (SKM) Hospital carrying more than just the physical challenges of a cleft palate—she carried the weight of emotional withdrawal and silence. Like many children with this condition, she had endured daily struggles with speech, eating, and the quiet toll of isolation.
Mr. Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, 60, from Taplejung in eastern Nepal, had been suffering from Neurofibromatosis since the age of 12. Socially devastated and psychologically depressed, he isolated himself from everyone, locking himself in his room due to fear, disgust, and ridicule from others.
Mr. Tej B.K, 21, from Kalikot in mid-western Nepal, suffered a severe flame burn at the age of 5 while filling a kerosene lamp in a home without electricity. The accident left him with painful injuries that affected his daily life and caused deep social stigmatization. Tej recalls, "The pain was unbearable. I felt like I was dying slowly as each day passed."
Sujal was just five years old when his life was nearly claimed by fire. A bale of straw in the family’s cattle shed caught fire, and in a flash, Sujal was engulfed in flames. His tiny body suffered devastating burns. His parents, desperate and terrified, rushed him to a nearby hospital. But as the days passed and the cost of treatment soared, they were forced to make a heartbreaking decision: they took him home, believing there was no hope left.
In the spring of 2025, we welcomed one of our youngest patients—eight-month-old Pragyan, a baby boy born with a cleft lip and palate. His parents first brought him to Sushma Koirala Memorial (SKM) Hospital in November 2024. At that time, he weighed just under 4 kilograms—too fragile for surgery. Worried but hopeful, his parents waited patiently as our team advised delaying the operation until he grew stronger.
During the monsoon season, disaster struck. A landslide buried the small hut where three-year-old Niki lived with her family. She had been lying near the fire with her grandfather when the earth gave way. Hours later, rescuers pulled her from the rubble—alive, but with severe burns on her legs. Her beloved grandfather did not survive.
At just four years old, Sakhar’s life changed in a heartbeat. What began as an ordinary day of play in his village turned tragic when he unknowingly walked across the smoldering remains of a recently extinguished fire. The embers were still dangerously hot, and the burns he sustained affected much of his body and delicate face.