Providing Care, Comfort & Lifesaving Skills: PHOMIR’s Humanitarian Medical Response to Flood and Landslide Survivors in Nepal

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

When disaster strikes, the immediate priority is saving lives. But true humanitarian care goes beyond treating physical injuries. Survivors of floods and landslides may also face fear, grief, displacement, uncertainty, psychological trauma, and the lasting effects of losing homes, livelihoods, and loved ones.

Recognizing the urgent and comprehensive needs of communities affected by the recent floods and landslides in Nepal, Protecting Health of Migrants, Immigrants and Refugees (PHOMIR) is organizing a humanitarian medical camp and outreach initiative to provide essential healthcare, mental health guidance, psychosocial support, and lifesaving skills to disaster survivors.

The initiative is being carried out across different disaster-affected locations in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, as well as at survivor holding centers in Kathmandu, where people evacuated from severely affected areas are receiving temporary care and assistance.

The latest phase of the response took place in Bidur, Nuwakot, where our team provided medical assessment and care, psychosocial support, mental health guidance, and CPR demonstrations to flood and landslide survivors at two holding centers.

Responding Where the Need Is Greatest

Floods and landslides can leave communities isolated, displaced, injured, and without immediate access to essential healthcare services. In the aftermath of a disaster, even relatively minor health concerns can become serious when people are living in temporary shelters, have limited access to medicines, or are separated from their regular healthcare providers.

For survivors, the journey to safety can itself be traumatic.

People are being airlifted from disaster-affected areas, where access by road may be severely disrupted or impossible. Upon arrival, survivors are triaged by Nepal Army medical teams and transferred to holding centers according to their medical needs.

These holding centers provide a critical link between emergency evacuation and longer-term recovery. They are places where survivors can receive immediate assistance, medical attention, information, and support while arrangements are made for their next steps.

It is within this critical window that humanitarian medical and psychosocial services can make a meaningful difference.

Medical Assessment and Care for Survivors

At the holding centers in Bidur, Nuwakot, our team provided general medical assessment and care to survivors arriving from disaster-affected areas.

The medical response included attending to children, women, and other survivors presenting with different health concerns. In a disaster setting, healthcare teams must remain prepared to address a wide range of needs—from common illnesses and minor injuries to conditions requiring referral and further medical attention.

Children require particular attention during emergencies. Displacement, exposure to harsh environmental conditions, disruption of regular meals and routines, and separation from familiar surroundings can have significant effects on their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Women and other vulnerable individuals may also face specific healthcare challenges during displacement and temporary shelter.

Our objective was therefore not simply to provide treatment, but to assess each survivor with compassion, identify immediate health concerns, provide appropriate care and guidance, and recognize situations that may require continued medical follow-up.

Caring for Mental Health After Disaster

A disaster leaves more than physical scars.

For many survivors, the psychological impact may continue long after the floodwaters recede or the landslides are cleared.

People may have witnessed destruction, experienced sudden evacuation, lost their homes or possessions, become separated from family members, or feared for their own lives and the lives of loved ones. Such experiences can lead to shock, anxiety, fear, grief, confusion, sleep difficulties, emotional distress, and other psychological reactions.

That is why mental health and psychosocial support are an essential part of disaster response.

During our outreach in Nuwakot, survivors experiencing psychological trauma were provided with psychosocial support and psychological guidance. The purpose was to create a safe and supportive environment where survivors could express their concerns, understand that many emotional reactions following a disaster are understandable, and receive guidance on coping with the aftermath.

Mental health support during emergencies is not a luxury—it is part of comprehensive healthcare.

By addressing both physical and psychological wellbeing, humanitarian teams can help survivors begin the process of recovery with greater dignity, confidence, and hope.

CPR Training: Preparing People to Save a Life

One of the most important components of the Nuwakot response was the demonstration of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

In an emergency, every second matters.

Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, including in environments where professional medical assistance may not be immediately available. Knowing how to recognize cardiac arrest and begin CPR can help maintain circulation until advanced medical assistance arrives.

Our team demonstrated CPR techniques for rescue workers and survivors, focusing on the importance of recognizing cardiac arrest and taking immediate action.

The training aimed to help participants understand that lifesaving assistance does not always begin with a medical professional. A trained bystander can play an important role during the critical minutes before an emergency medical team arrives.

The demonstration emphasized the importance of:

• Recognizing when a person may be in cardiac arrest.

• Calling for emergency medical assistance.

• Beginning appropriate CPR promptly.

• Maintaining chest compressions while waiting for advanced medical help.

• Understanding the importance of teamwork during an emergency.

• Building confidence to respond rather than simply stand by.

The goal is simple: help people be prepared to act when every second counts.

A Team Bringing Medical and Psychosocial Expertise Together

This humanitarian response brought together professionals with complementary expertise to address the diverse needs of disaster survivors.

The team included:

Dr. Shiva Shrestha — Senior PediatricianProviding medical assessment and care, with particular attention to the healthcare needs of children and other survivors.

Mr. Rajan Chatkuli — Psychosocial ExpertProviding psychological guidance and psychosocial support to survivors experiencing emotional distress and mental trauma following the disaster.

Our medical response teamWorking together to provide healthcare services, survivor support, health education, and CPR demonstrations at the holding centers.

The combination of medical care, psychological support, and lifesaving skills reflects an important principle of humanitarian response: people affected by disaster need care for the whole person—not only the visible injury.

Collaboration Makes Humanitarian Response Stronger

This humanitarian medical and psychosocial initiative has been organized through collaboration among several organizations committed to supporting communities during times of crisis.

The response is being carried out in collaboration with:

• Protecting Health of Migrants, Immigrants and Refugees (PHOMIR)

• Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA)

• Helping Hands Without Borders

• Center for American Medical Specialists (CAMS)

• STAR Scholars Network

Such collaboration brings together networks, professional expertise, resources, volunteers, and community connections that can strengthen emergency response.

Disasters affect entire communities, and responding to them requires a collective effort.

No single organization or individual can address every need alone. Partnerships allow humanitarian teams to reach more people, share expertise, coordinate services, and provide more comprehensive support to survivors.

Reaching Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Survivor Holding Centers in Kathmandu

PHOMIR's humanitarian response is not limited to one location.

The medical camp initiative is intended to reach survivors in different disaster-affected areas of Nuwakot and Rasuwa, along with people who have been evacuated and are staying at survivor holding centers in Kathmandu.

Each location presents its own challenges.

In directly affected areas, communities may be dealing with damaged roads, disrupted healthcare infrastructure, limited transportation, displacement, and difficulties accessing essential services.

At holding centers, the challenge is different: survivors arrive from different circumstances and with different levels of medical, emotional, and social need.

A flexible and coordinated response is therefore essential.

Our teams are working to bring healthcare and psychosocial support closer to the people who need it, while recognizing that disaster recovery does not end when emergency evacuation is completed.

More Than a Medical Camp

A humanitarian medical camp is often understood as a place where doctors provide treatment.

But effective disaster healthcare must go further.

It must ask:

Is the survivor physically safe?

1. Are there urgent medical concerns that require follow-up?

2. Has the person experienced psychological trauma?

3. Does the survivor understand how to seek further assistance?

4. Are children receiving appropriate attention?

5. Are people prepared to respond if another medical emergency occurs?

These questions shape a more comprehensive approach to humanitarian healthcare.

Our work in Nuwakot therefore combined medical assessment, health care, psychological guidance, psychosocial support, health education, and CPR training.

The objective was not only to respond to immediate needs but also to strengthen awareness, resilience, and lifesaving capacity within the affected community.

Supporting Survivors With Dignity and Compassion

In the middle of a disaster, people can quickly become defined by numbers: the number evacuated, the number injured, the number displaced, or the number receiving assistance.

But behind every number is a person.

A child who has experienced fear.

A mother worried about her family.

A survivor who has lost a home.

A rescue worker carrying the emotional weight of what they have witnessed.

A person uncertain about what tomorrow will bring.

Humanitarian healthcare must never lose sight of that human dimension.

Our approach is rooted in care, dignity, compassion, and respect. Providing medical attention is important, but listening to survivors, reassuring them, helping them understand their health needs, and giving them a sense that they are not alone are equally meaningful parts of the response.

Our Gratitude to Those Who Made This Response Possible

Humanitarian work is never accomplished by one team alone.

We extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who has contributed their time, expertise, resources, coordination, encouragement, and support to this initiative.

Special thanks to:

Dr. Sangeeta Sharma, Hemraj Sharma, Rajendra Kumar Raut, Mr. Arjun Kumar Shrestha, Keith Write, Uttam Gaule, and many others whose support has helped make this humanitarian effort possible.

Every contribution matters.

Whether through medical expertise, psychosocial support, coordination, transportation, communication, logistics, volunteering, fundraising, or simply helping connect people in need with people willing to help, collective action can make an extraordinary difference during a crisis.

Looking Beyond the Immediate Emergency

Flood and landslide response does not end once survivors reach a holding center.

Recovery can take weeks, months, and sometimes years.

Physical injuries may require follow-up care. Chronic health conditions may need continued treatment. Children may need additional support after disruption to their lives and education. Families may require assistance rebuilding their livelihoods. Survivors experiencing psychological trauma may need ongoing mental health and psychosocial services.

This is why humanitarian health responses should be connected to longer-term recovery efforts.

The medical camps organized by PHOMIR are part of a broader commitment to supporting vulnerable populations and strengthening access to health-related services in times of crisis.

We believe that emergency response should not only help people survive the immediate disaster—it should help them move toward recovery with health, dignity, resilience, and hope.

Every Second Counts. Every Person Matters.

The experience in Nuwakot reminded us of a fundamental truth about disaster response:

Saving lives means caring for both the body and the mind—and being ready to act when every second counts.

A medical examination can identify a health concern.

A conversation can provide comfort to someone experiencing trauma.

A few minutes of CPR training can give a person the confidence to respond during a cardiac emergency.

And a coordinated humanitarian effort can remind survivors that they have not been forgotten.

As PHOMIR and its partners continue their humanitarian outreach across Nuwakot, Rasuwa, and survivor holding centers in Kathmandu, our focus remains on reaching people where they need support most.

We stand with the survivors of Nepal's floods and landslides.

We stand with the families who have been displaced.

We stand with the children, women, rescue workers, and communities facing the difficult road to recovery.

And we remain committed to providing Care, Comfort & Lifesaving Skills wherever they are needed.

Together, We Can Make a Difference

Disasters can destroy homes, disrupt communities, and change lives in an instant. But compassion, cooperation, knowledge, and timely action can also save lives and give people hope.

Through medical care, mental health guidance, psychosocial support, and lifesaving education, PHOMIR and its collaborating organizations are working to ensure that disaster survivors receive more than emergency assistance.

They receive care.

They receive comfort.

They receive knowledge.

And, most importantly, they receive the message that their health, dignity, and wellbeing matter.

PHOMIR remains committed to standing beside vulnerable communities—during emergencies, throughout recovery, and beyond.

In a disaster, saving lives means caring for both the body and the mind—and being ready to act when every second counts.

## Copyright & Disclaimer

**Copyright © 2026 PHOMIR. All Rights Reserved.**

The content of this article, including text, photographs, graphics, videos, and other materials, is published by **Protecting Health of Migrants, Immigrants and Refugees (PHOMIR)** for informational, humanitarian, and public awareness purposes.

All original content, photographs, graphics, and materials published on this website are protected by applicable copyright laws and may not be copied, reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from PHOMIR, except where permitted by law.

### Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is intended for general informational and humanitarian awareness purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.

Medical conditions and emergency situations should always be assessed by appropriately qualified healthcare professionals. CPR and other lifesaving information shared through this article are provided for educational purposes and should not replace certified first-aid or CPR training.

While PHOMIR makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information presented is accurate and appropriate, circumstances during disaster response can change rapidly. PHOMIR does not guarantee that all information will remain current or applicable to every individual or situation.

The names of organizations, professionals, volunteers, partners, and contributors mentioned in this article are included in connection with their involvement or support of the humanitarian initiative. Their inclusion does not necessarily imply endorsement of every statement contained in this publication.

Photographs and other visual materials are published for humanitarian documentation and awareness purposes. Where applicable, permission, attribution, or other appropriate authorization has been obtained. If you believe any material has been published incorrectly or without appropriate authorization, please contact PHOMIR so the matter can be reviewed.

**PHOMIR — Protecting Health, Promoting Dignity, Saving Lives.**