THE TIBETAN-HIMALAYAN HEALTHCARE PROJECT

An adequate health-care system is part of an ethical society. Maintaining good health has been recognized as a prerequisite for optimizing individuals’ educational potentials. Provision of community health care as a basic need protects against future civil unrest and supports peace.

A critical link to the survival of the ancient Tibetan culture is the health of Tibetans. There are approximately 150,000 Tibetan refugees residing across India, with the majority living in the north, northeast and south. Many other Tibetan refugees have taken up residence in Nepal and Bhutan. There are serious inadequacies in infrastructure and access to medicines and healthcare workers among Tibetans and Tibetans-in-exile, including the monastic population. The burden of illness in this society is characterized by diarrheal disease, skin infections, respiratory infections, fevers, and especially among the elderly, joint pains and cardiovascular problems. The rates of tuberculosis are extremely high.

The Tibetan-Himalayan Healthcare Project has been created to improve the health of Tibetans and other communities in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. The Project identifies high-quality health care facilities and projects suffering from a lack of financial resources and raises funds to facilitate their mission of providing essential healthcare. It integrates both Tibetan and western medicine and culturally sensitive measures as needed.

A number of physicians and professionals with extensive experience in medical relief work and healthcare are now working with the project to ensure that your contributions are efficiently distributed to healthcare facilities and projects in the Tibetan-Himalayan region struggling from a lack of financial resources to continue their good work. Dr. Joseph Lux, an infectious disease physician and psychiatrist, the Tibetan-Himalayan Healthcare founder, and Tracey Simon, a social worker with extensive experiences in healthcare, are coordinating this effort. Numerous other professionals are supporting the project.

The Project is being launched with a focus on two monastic organizations—the Samten Tse Charitable Foundation and the Sera Mey Monastery in India to support their monastery clinics, community healthcare, and social service related work. Additional organizations will be added to the list of recipients in the future.

The Tibetan-Himalayan Healthcare Project is a project of the Dalai Lama Foundation, which ensures that 95 per cent of proceeds raised for the project are used to support the healthcare project’s needs.

Dr. Joseph Lux and Tracey Simon of New York are co-coordinators of the project.

You may obtain more information on the project by contacting our coordinator by email.

Your contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. You may make a contribution right now at our online donation page. Thank you.

Photos on this page used by permission of and copyright © 2005, Robert Light