In early October, peacekeepers from the Nepalese Formed Police Unit (FPU-2) conducted a medical outreach at the St. John River City Clinic, 30 km from Grand Bassa County capital Buchanan. More than 90 patients were examined and treated.

Women, children and the elderly came from the vicinity as well as surrounding villages for treatment they usually cannot afford. These included minor surgical procedures like dressings and the free distribution of essential medicines. Most of the children had upper respiratory infections and skin rashes.

Other complaints were poor appetite, failure to gain weight, and common cold. Diabetes and hypertension were common sicknesses among adults.

“There were a number of persons with diabetes and hypertension. What was nice was that we were able to offer some more education to the population at the clinic to make them aware of the importance of taking care of their bodies,” said Rajesh Uprety, Operations Officer of FPU-2.

As the Nepalese peacekeepers finished the day’s session, more people kept coming with various medical complaints. Some of them had toothache and needed to see a dentist to extract or clean their teeth. Patients were quick to compliment the peacekeepers for the fast and efficient service they received at the free medical outreach.