On Sunday August 10, Dame Joanna Lumley will feature on BBC’s Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the Sussex-based charity, Doctors for Nepal. Founded by doctor Kate Yarrow, the charity helps bring healthcare to the Himalayas of western Nepal by funding training for local doctors and nurses. Dame Joanna will tell the story of the charity's first consultant doctor, Lalit, who overcame great odds to serve some of Nepal’s most far-flung citizens, paving the way for others to follow. It is a story of hope, hard work, and a small but committed team, fighting for equal medical care in mountain villages.

Their journey began in 2006 with Kate Yarrow, a young U.K. doctor, posted by international aid charity, Médecins Sans Frontières, to western Nepal. There, she experienced first-hand the desperate medical need of its isolated Himalayan villages. Her medical assistant, Lalit, dreamed of becoming a doctor to serve his community, but the training fees were far beyond the reach of his impoverished family. On returning to the U.K., Kate vowed to raise funds to pay for Lalit's medical training, if he pledged to return to his community to provide medical care after graduating, so making a lasting contribution to its health.

Since then, DFN has awarded 40 more scholarships to students from similar poverty-stricken backgrounds, changing lives one medic at a time. DFN doctors and nurses finish their courses free from debt, so they do not need to work abroad to pay off loans from family and friends. Being local, they understand the dialect and cultural nuances of their patients, building trust faster.

Today, the charity also brings together the growing DFN team of medical staff in projects such as health camps. A health camp is a "pop-up" event that brings free healthcare services, including consultations, screenings and health education, to inaccessible and underserved communities. This is critical in a country with up to 150,000 patients per doctor in rural areas (England averages 2,257), and where infant and maternal mortality remain stubbornly high (in western Nepal 58 infant deaths per 1,000 births, and 172 maternal deaths per 100,000 births, compared to just 4.6 and 11.23 in the U.K., respectively). The camps also provide an invaluable training opportunity for DFN doctors and nurses.

Doctor Lalit at work - the first consultant gynaecologist in his region

placeholder image — Doctor Lalit at work - the first consultant gynaecologist in his region

Dame Joanna Lumley, whose father, Major James Rutherford Lumley, served in the 6th Gurkha Rifles during World War II, maintains a deep connection with Nepal, and is a patron of Doctors for Nepal. “This is a charity that I love to bits,’’ she says. ‘’Everyone deserves to be given an education – and I love the fact that DFN not only offers this - but that the impact of the scholarships is felt so far and wide; that thousands will benefit from the education of these individuals in the Himalayas”. For more, please see: https://tinyurl.com/yu7tvpr9

The Appeal will launch on Radio 4 on Sunday 10th August at 7:54am and 9.26pm. The broadcast will repeat on Thursday 14th August at 3:27pm, and will be available on BBC Sounds. The Appeal will be live on the BBC website from August 10th to 16th, and can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002gzq4

All contributions will help DFN train the next generation of medics, and fund projects such as health camps. To boost the impact of donations, afoundation and two individuals supporters of Doctors for Nepal are generously matching the first £40,000 of donations.

Donations can be made by searching online for ‘BBC Radio 4 Appeal,’ or calling 0800 404 8144. Cheques can be made to “Doctors for Nepal” and sent to Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal.