The History
The Village Elder who kept Sturges' in his home of 2 years
The Early Days
In the late 1950's, when Nepal opened its doors to the outside world, Dr. Stanley and Raylene Sturges and their children were the first Seventh-day Adventist medical missionaries to Nepal.
They asked King Mahendra where they could be used the most and they were sent to the village of Banepa, 26 Km east of Kathmandu. With nowhere to live and no church support structure in place, they accepted the offer of a local elder to live in his home. They lived with this Nepali family for almost two years. (The Nepali elder's grandson would later be the Assistant Mayor of Banepa and a supporter of the hospital).
The Sturgeses began with just a small one-room clinic, caring for the immediate and urgent medical needs of the community. By 1960, they expanded into a 20-bed hospital. At that time, Scheer Memorial Hospital was the only hospital serving the one-half million people of Kavre District. Mr. Clifford C. Scheer, as a memorial to his parents, Charles J. and Carolyn Scheer, donated most of the money needed to build the hospital. Funding for equipment, room furnishings, and medical supply neccessities came from CARE and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
How We've Grown
Since those modest early years, and with the continued volunteer and financial assistance of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Scheer Memorial Hospital has evolved into a three-story facility licenced for 150-beds, that provides a full range of outpatient and inpatient services. We specialize in orthopedics, obstetrics, gynecology, and Pediatrics. Also provided are: medical, general surgery, dental, ophthalmology, urology, ICU, 24-hour emergency room, and ambulance, as well as physiotherapy services. Diagnostics available include x-ray, ultrasound, lab, ECG, and endoscopy. Weekly out-reach clinics add to the scope of rural community health care that Scheer provides. Professional medical teams from America, Netherlands, Australia and Japan run annual, free health camps at Scheer providing surgical repairs for burn victims, uterine prolapse and cleft lip/palate patients.
A Heart for Mission
From those early days of the Sturgeses, Scheer continues to be the home of missionaries with a heart for service. In 1960 the Sturgeses were the lone missionary family at Scheer. Today we have five long-term missionary families and many more short-term missionaries who come from all over the world to work at Scheer.
Our Educational Programs
Scheer hasn't stopped at providing only outstanding medical services, we now host internationally recognized educational programs and awareness events.
In 2002 an elementary school was opened for the children of the hospital staff. The school was started by Mrs. Fylvia Kline who envisioned a school where children could learn English from English speaking volunteers, be exposed to a Christian environment and focus on developing skills that could prepare them to be the future leaders of Nepal. It started with eight 5-year-olds, and one adventurous volunteer, in a one room shack at the edge of the hospital property. Since 2004, thanks to the generous donations from the Seventh-day Adventist church in Finland and a grant from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs the school is located in the new ESA Memorial Building. It boasts seven classrooms, a large gymnasium, and this year 80 precious students in preschool through grade 5. These students' tuition and lunch is provided by sponsors and this service is a huge benefit for the hard working staff at the hospital. The Australian Adventist Sanitarium also donated and constructed a model playground which is enjoyed by the children every day.
In 2005 Scheer Memorial College of Nursing was opened with 15 students. We are very proud to announce that this year these same students will be graduating with Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing and with a reputation of excellence in academics and in clinical practicum experience. There are 74 lovely young women currently enrolled in the program and our teaching faculty is recruited from the best in Nepal.
Innovative Projects
Also in 2005, Scheer Memorial Hospital successfully organized the first international marathon to raise funds for charity health care in Nepal. Toyota Kathmandu Marathon registered runners representing 20 different countries who participated and experienced the charm and chaos of the Kathmandu valley. The route ran through UNESCO world heritage sites, had breathtaking mountain views and the occasional elephant or cow as an obstacle. In 2006, Scheer again organized a fund raising event, this time, Samsung Kathmandu 5 Km Fun Run. Nearly 4,000 people participated in this event, to raise awarness and funds for charity health care in Nepal.
Scheer is home base for HETIP, Health Education and Tobacco Intervention Program, which has been running now for nearly 10 years and has ambitiously provided entertaining and educational programs, designed to encourage healthy lifestyle choices, to thousands of students at educational venues all over Nepal.
Getting Involved
Please consider supporting this mission with your prayers and talents. It's people like you who keep the passion for service alive at Scheer Memorial Hospital.
