KATHMANDU: Renowned climber Phurba Tenzing Sherpa, who has successfully climbed Mt. Everest 14 times, handed over the health post building amidst a ceremony held in Kathmandu.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Mount Everest Summitters Club, Rolwaling Dolakha, Sherpa handed over the building to the villagers under the protection and supervision of the club from now on.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Sherpa said that he had constructed the building in the memory of his father and villagers who passed away without timely treatment.

“In 2004, my father died of disease related to foot. At first, no one in the village knew what his disease was. When it suddenly became difficult, he was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu and died there. I was young then. If there was a health post, a doctor, and a nurse in the village, he would know what his disease was, and even if the disease was not detected, he would be advised to go to Kathmandu immediately. My father’s life could have been saved. ” Sherpa said with tears in his eyes that he has never forgotten the incident.

Inspired by the same incident, his continuous initiative to build a health post in the village has been successful after five years. Three-room health post building has been completed in Beding village of Gaushankar Rural Municipality-1 of Dolakha.

“The basic physical infrastructure has been built, but that alone did not fulfill my dream. Three years have passed since the government of Nepal demanded the appointment of a health worker who can provide paracetamol in the village,” says Sherpa.

He said that he was relieved when for the first time in the history of Rolwaling Village, a health worker appointed by the village municipality reached the village amidst the countrywide lockdown issued by the government of Nepal for the prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic.

After the catastrophic earthquake in 2015, Sherpa has been doing various social work in the village in collaboration with his Austrian friend Joseph Einwaller.

Joseph Einwaller, who climbed Mt. Everest along with Phurba Tenzing Sherpa, the winner of two Guinness World Records and National Youth Talent Award-2017, also said that Rolwaling Village was his second home because of Sherpa.

Finju Norbu Sherpa, the only Gurkha Dakshinbahu medalist from Rolwaling Village, was also felicitated at the meeting for his invaluable contribution to the expansion of telephone towers and transmission lines.

Mentioning that ‘Rolwaling’ is the Karnali of Dolakha district, Ward No 1 Chairman Chhiring Sherpa said that despite many obstacles and challenges, the work of the ward has made the slogan ‘Federalism: Singha Durbar reaches every house’ meaningful.

Dawa Chiri Sherpa, President of Mount Everest Summitters Club, and Norbu Thundu Sherpa, President of Sangag Choling Monastery School said that the village should always be united for the greater good and thanked all those who have worked day and night for the development and prosperity of the village.