Not a migration story: Dr Rojina Shilpakar

Nepal Now: On the Move

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Today’s episode is not a migration story; you could even call it a non-migration story. I’m chatting with someone successful enough in her field that you could easily imagine her skills being in demand in many other countries, and that she could leave Nepal if she wished. But of course she hasn’t.

Like many Nepalis, Dr Rojina Shilpakar went to Bangladesh to study medicine, then returned to Nepal. Searching for a niche, she found it quite fast at Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital, performing surgery on survivors of burns. Today she is deputy medical director at the hospital, a trainer of burns surgery at the regional level, and an advocate for training of health personnel working outside Kathmandu, so that burn survivors who arrive in the capital have a better chance of survival.

As much as I enjoyed this conversation, I hesitate to draw any lessons from Rojina’s story that might apply to Nepal more broadly. The experiences she’s lived and the decisions she made are unique to her. What I do know from our chat, is that she has been able to find a job in Nepal that challenges her and that she is devoted to. I wish that more people will find themselves in such a situation.

Thank you as always to Himal Media for welcoming me into their studio for this recording. And a warning: there are some graphic descriptions of surgery in this episode. Please take care while listening.
Resources
Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital, Facebook page

Interburns network

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Music by audionautix.com.
Thank you to Himal Media in Patan Dhoka for the use of their studio.

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1. Not a migration story: Dr Rojina Shilpakar (00:00:00)

2. Newly graduated, searching for a niche (00:03:58)

3. Developing a passion for burns surgery (00:11:50)

4. Why doing training outside Kathmandu is imperative (00:20:36)

5. 3 ways Dr Rojina's job keeps her in Nepal (00:26:20)