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IPPG Newsletters: January 2001
Report from Pheriche HRA post, fall 2000 |
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by Dr. Mark Guy Feeney, Volunteer Physician
Pheriche HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association) aid post
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The fall of 2000 saw another busy season at the HRA post in Pheriche. Almost 500 trekkers / porters were treated, there were 36 heli-evacuations and sadly there was the death of two westerners and two porters.
As recently illustrated in the BBC documentary, Carrying the Burden, the plight of the Nepali porter continues to be an issue. We saw many examples of this, indeed approximately half the patient seen, were Nepali. Many of these were porters with Acute Mountain Sickness and its complications of HACE and HAPE. On two occasions porters were abandoned at the side of the trail by their trekking group because they were no longer able to carry their load. In actual fact they were both suffering from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema and were left without assistance and financial means to allow them to descend. If it weren't for the support of passing trekkers they would have undoubtedly died. This is not an uncommon scenario and indeed last season a porter was found dead at the side of the trail.
Contrary to popular belief the majority of porters are not high altitude Sherpas, in fact most are from lowland areas and are poor farmers trying to supplement their meager income. For portering 30 kg they may earn 150 to 250 rupees a day and for a double load they may earn up to 500 rupees a day. So portering does provide a valuable source of income, this however should not cost them their life.
Porters working the Khumbu are four times at risk of illness and accident compared to western trekkers. The reasons for this is that there is no education provided on altitude sickness, hypothermia, frostbite or hygiene, and that the porters are often under nourished, overworked and not equipped for the environment that they are in. They also do not have the financial means to pay for medical attention when they become unwell. Lastly they are also financially driven and will not put down their loads when they become unwell for fear of lost earnings.
As the number of trekkers coming to Nepal continues to grow so will the demand on porters. The ultimate aim would be to provide them with a safer environment in which they can work. This is surely the responsibility of both the trekking agencies and the individual trekkers. All the agencies should provide insurance towards medical expenses for their porters as they should warm clothing for the mountain. It is not unreasonable to expect porters to have good jackets and trousers as well as hats, gloves and suitable footwear. There are some very good examples of agencies providing adequate uniforms for their staff, and there is no reason why the other agencies can not follow.
As an individual trekker it is your responsibility to ensure that your porters are fairly treated. If trekking with a group, it is your obligation to raise issues of unfair treatment with your trekking group and travel agent back home. As a client you are the voice of your porters. Individual trekkers can also support the International Porter Protection Group, which has set up a clothing bank both in Kathmandu and Lukla which provides porters with warm clothing on a rental basis, and the HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association). Finally, the trekker should also consider tipping the porter directly as it is indeed they who bear your burden.
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