The Hospital at the End of the World

Product Description

Updated April 30 2015, after the Nepal earthquake which took so many lives.

Five years after publication, The Hospital at the End of the World has found an odd place on the bookshelves of medical personnel who have served in Low Income Countries. It’s part travelogue and part medical thriller. The Hospital at the End of the World is a narrative nonfiction semi-autobiographical description of a summer the author spent teaching nursing in rural Nepal at a hospital run by Christian Missionaries.

Most books available to the average American reader about Nepal are ones that describe Himalayan mountaineering by western climbers, but which do not remotely address the unique Nepali culture or the day to day lives of the people. This book does.

This book occupies an important space in the reading material a prospective global health worker might choose to prep for a trip on a similar mission. Most similar books do not devote space to the nitty gritty of how such a place runs, who they people are, and the diagnoses of the patients. The author uses his background as a manager and nursing faculty in the USA to provide a well-rounded and mature perspective on the day-to-day operations of a mission hospital from the perspective of a nurse new to global health.

The social environment and unique cultural challenges of Nepal are addressed head on, along with the author’s reaction to emotionally challenging patient care situations.

With the earthquake of 2015, there will now be western nurses and doctors seeking material to orient themselves about conditions in hospitals in Nepal. As one doctor who travels to Nepal to volunteer put it “This and the other book by the same author ought to be required reading for every nurses and doc volunteering in Nepal.”

Review

Joe Niemczura brings to life the day-to-day realities of life in a rural teaching hospital, literally at the “end of the road.” The harsh realities of a lack of modern medical equipment when mixed with the humanness of endurances demonstrates that above all, it is the individual who matters; both patient and caregiver. All else pales in comparison. Public health dilemmas abound as Joe journeys beyond the confines of the hospital to the villages and cities of the often-mysterious country. The strength of this story is in relationships with students, physicians, other nurses, patients, families and most importantly with Nepal itself. There is a sense of community connectedness which the author brings alive as the reader becomes one with the story. The heartbreak and grief of death to the celebrations of life will elicit those same emotions. The thread through it all is the author’s own journey as he discovers himself and renews his spirituality. The reader is immediately pulled into the drama and nakedness, and the beauty and mystery of this incredible part of the world.
Ellen L. Bridge, RN, BS, MTS Public Health Nursing Consultant

“The Hospital at the End of the World” is a realism Joe Niemczura recognized and exemplified how devoted health care professionals deal a scarce situation in a hospital while caring patients. The book carefully describes cultural aspect a care provider has to consider.
Some of the materials in the book are raw but nicely written and wild but adventurous. It best portrays how life in rural village and big city in Nepal embedded with rich culture, diverse religion and broken politics. Undoubtedly, this book provides an insight of health care systems in a developing country.
–Mandira Aryal Neupane, RN Straub Clinic and Hospital, Honolulu, HI; RN in Nepal for nine years

Review

Joe Niemczura brings to life the day-to-day realities of life in a rural teaching hospital, literally at the “end of the road.” The harsh realities of a lack of modern medical equipment when mixed with the humanness of endurances demonstrates that above all, it is the individual who matters; both patient and caregiver. All else pales in comparison. The