WHO OR WHAT IS MERO? Medical Rehabilitation Organisation (MeRO) is a non-profit organisation registered with the Social Welfare Council (SWC) in Nepal. The SWC is the Government body that is responsible for the regulation of non-profit organisations. MeRO has reporting responsiblities to the SWC and is subject to government rules, regulations and requirements which aim to promote good governance, accountability and transparency. Their Affiliation Number is 53349.
WHAT DOES MeRO DO? 
MeRO improves health outcomes by facilitating access to health care using funds sourced through local and international donations and grants. MeRO funds and facilitates the provision of medical and surgical intervention, nursing care, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services for people with life-changing injury or illness. Medical care is not free in Nepal and all patients who come through the doors of the Shelter cannot afford the above due to poverty. From the time they are referred to MeRO, patients and their family members are not required to pay for anything – everything is free.
HOW DO THEY DO IT? MeRO operates a medical shelter in Kathmandu (known simply as ‘the Shelter’) which provides a safe space for patients and their family member(s) to stay. MeRO achieves their aims and objectives thanks to the support of many generous individuals in Nepal and overseas, who are aware of their work. They not only receive funding from us, but are also supported by an organisation in the Netherlands called Stichting Care 4 Nepal who pays the Shelter’s rent, amongst other things.
MeRO’s HISTORY: MeRO was founded by the most wonderful biomedical
engineer in the whole wide world called Samrat. He had a non-profit organisation called Nepal Healthcare Equipment Development Foundation (NHEDF) recycling broken biomedical equipment and returning it to hospitals and individuals in working order. When the earthquake happened, MeRO’s premises quickly evolved into a medical shelter established for people being discharged from hospital way too early to make room for more. It was staffed by volunteers.
Samrat thought the Shelter would only be
needed for 3 months or so, but over successive weeks, months and then years, patients simply kept coming. The volume of work showed no signs of dissipating, so the organisation changed its name to better reflect what it does. In January 2021, NHEDF became Medical Rehabilitation Organisation or MeRO for short. Earthquake related injuries were eventually replaced with trauma from other causes and MeRO later began to accept people with life-changing illness as well as injury.
WHO RUNS THE SHELTER? The Shelter is run by a Board of several multi-talented individuals who do an amazing job. Samrat is the Director, Devindra is Vice-President and Sajina is Treasurer. Onnchu is the equivalent of a Practice Manager and is also a Board Member. He also assists with administrative and reporting duties. Anjeela, MeRO’s physiotherapist has been there since the beginning, as has Kusum, MeRO’s lead nurse. Nayana and Anjana are both staff nurses at the Shelter.
WHERE DOES MeRO OPERATE? MeRO rents a multi-story building in Kathmandu. This is a home-away- from-home for up to 20 patients and one or more family member(s) who assist with their personal care, both in hospital and at the Shelter, as is customary in Nepal. The number of patients MeRO can accept is dependent on funding Relatives, and the patients when they are able, also help with the day to day running of the Shelter. A part-time cook, who lives nearby, cooks two meals a day for everyone and a ‘secuity guard’ is present at night.
HOW DOES MERO OPERATE? Both MeRO and Roads to Rehab Nepal rely solely on donations. The number of patients they can accept is depending on funding and the acuity of existing patients.
Most patients referred to MeRO come from remote
regions. MeRO receives referrals from individuals, doctors, nurses, journalists, other healthcare staff and hospitals throughout Nepal. Often patients have been referred by, or rescued from, inadequately resourced district hospitals. Patients who meet admission criteria go either directly to hospital or straight to the Shelter, depending on their acuity and diagnosis.
Patients are referred to MeRO at different stages of their medical journey. It is always preferable for them to be referred early before they incur any medical debt. Unfortunately many patients are not referred until they are part-way through their medical journey. By then they have either spent all their savings, or are heavily indebted to family, friends or their community or both. MeRO often receives patients who have incurred debts of up to AU$30,000.
Once a patient is referred to MeRO everything is completely free for themselves and their accompanying family member(s). This includes all medical care, nursing care, physiotherapy, food, accomodation, medications, mobility aids, prostheses, transport – everything.
At the Shelter, a multi-disciplinary team, including three full-time nurses and a physiotherapist provide nursing care, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services in a professional, nurturing, supportive, caring, family environment. Patients stay at the Shelter for as long as it takes for them to travel down their often long road to rehabilitation.
Patient’s family members, and patients themselves, when they are able, look after all the practical aspects of the Shelter leaving Samrat to advocate for them and negotiate the many challenges of coordinating patient care within an expensive, complex and sometimes corrupt medical system.
HOW DOES ROADS TO REHAB NEPAL SUPPORT MeRO? Visit our ‘About Roads to Rehab Nepal’ page which will explain all!