Dharan doctor wins int’l honour

A Nepali physician has been honoured for pioneering a concept that a physician should make door-to-door visits for effective treatment of kidney ailments.
Dr Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, who is associated with the BP Koirala Institute for Health Sciences here, was honoured at a recent annual meeting of the International Society of Nephrology in Brazil.
Dr Sharma’s report entitled “A Community Screening for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes and their Management at Dharan” won the second prize in a global contest among physicians. The first and third places went to physicians from Germany in the event that was held on April 23. “I hope the recognition will help me in my endeavours,” Dr Sharma said.
The doctor from Jhapa is the only nephrology expert outside the capital. He has identified a number of cases of nephrology, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease after visiting people in Dharan. He said his programme is also being followed in Damak. He set up a separate department for the treatment of diabetes and nephrology cases in 2002 for the first time outside the capital.