Himalayan Health Project

Humanitarian healthcare to the Himalayas

  • Projects
    • Dental
    • Vision
    • Women’s Health
    • Lamdon Clinic
  • Our Team
  • Resource Library
    • Dental Library
    • Vision Library
    • Womens Health Library
    • HHP in the news Library
  • HHP Latest News
  • Do You Want To Help?
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for Himalayan Women's Health

Women's Health Project

The Himalayan Women’s Health project has been in operation in Ladakh since 2009 and has conducted numerous major screening, treatment and education camps in some of the most remote areas of the North Indian Himalayan region. Its main focus is on the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer, as well as to provide gynecological and pregnancy-related care to the women of Ladakh.

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in India and the disease kills more women in India than in anywhere else in the world. We have found high rates of cervical pre-cancer in this isolated and remote area.  The project has adopted a single-visit approach for the detection and treatment using a simple and cost effective method of screening known as Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA). This involves applying a weak vinegar solution to the cervix and observing the changes that occur. Women who have the visible pre-cancerous (cervical cells) changes then undergo a more thorough examination known as colposcopy, and are offered treatment under local anesthesia if necessary. The HWHP has been conducting regular screening and treatment camps and to date has screened almost 9,000 women and provided surgical treatments for over 600 patients with serious precancerous lesions or other maladies

Another important aspect of the work of HWHP is to educate local women about various aspects of women’s health, as well as to train local healthcare workers to perform the screening techniques. This will ensure continuity in the screening process, and eventually, we hope to train enough healthcare workers to be able to continue and expand the program.

Looking ahead, we hope to take the next, best possible step toward the long term health and welfare of the women of Ladakh by introducing the safe and effective vaccine that protects women from the HPV virus that has been proven to be the cause of cervical cancer in most instances.

2017 – Mission Statement

There are over 40,000 women in the Ladakh region that are at risk from cervical cancer.  Many of them are already infected with the HPV virus that has been shown to be the primary cause of this extremely serious illness.  The goal of The Himalayan Women's Heath Project is to address the problem with a two tiered strategy:

  1.  Screen and treat older, sexually active women for infection from the HPV virus and if necessary, treat them surgically for their developing precancerous lesions before that condition becomes a life threatening malignancy. We are sending local physicians to The National Cancer Center in Calcutta so they can be trained in the screening techniques that will enable infected women to be identified. When significant numbers of women needing surgery for their conditions are confirmed, then Dr Quek Swee Chong will fly to Ladakh from Singapore and perform the surgeries.  He has left all the necessary sophisticated  equipment required for these surgeries with us in Ladakh so logistically it is now relatively easy for him to fly in and perform 100+ of the procedures in only a few days. The next such surgical treatment mission is scheduled for August, 2017.
  2.  Introduce the safe and effective vaccine for the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer. The vaccines are widely available in developed, affluent places such as Europe, the United States and other metropolitan areas of India but they are prohibitively expensive for an rural, agricultural based population such as Ladakh. Dr Quek Swee Chong has been able to negotiate heavily discounted prices for the vaccines from the pharmaceutical companies holding the exclusive patents because of his humanitarian reputation as well as our assurances that the vaccines will be distributed free of charge.  The only obstacle now is gaining final permission and cooperation from the local medical officials.

 

Do You Want To Help?

April 1 & 2 2018

April 18, 2018

The camp went well, in no small part due to the focus and hard work the TTS students that have been contributing to the effort. At the end of the 2nd day, we had almost 1,000 patients come through the camp and be screened and treated for evidence of early-stage cervical cancer as well as…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

Dr Swee Chong’s 2016 Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment expedition to Ladakh.

February 22, 2017

Dr Quek Swee Chong returned to Ladakh July 30 > August 7, 2016 with a impressive team of 26 gynecologists, nurses and assistants to successfully conduct the most ambitious and productive cervical cancer screening and treatment camp in the history of The Himalayan Women’s Health Project. Just over 1,600 women from a wide social spectrum…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

2015 Himalayan Women’s Health Project Cervical Cancer Screening & Treatment expedition to Ladakh is an enormous success

June 10, 2015

Dr Quek Swee Chong returned to Ladakh May 17>25 with a impressive team of 16 gynecologists, nurses and assistants to successfully conduct the most ambitious and productive cervical cancer screening and treatment camp in the history of The Himalayan Women’s Health Project. Just over 2,000 women from a wide social spectrum of villages, nomadic tribes…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

2014 Cervical Cancer Screening & Treatment camp – Leh, Ladakh

May 22, 2015

In August 2014, Dr Quek Swee Chong continued his efforts to bring life saving education, screening and treatment opportunities to the women of Ladakh who are living in some of the most remote areas of the Himalayas.  Dr Quek brought an extremely capable and dedicated team of gynecologists, physicians, nurses and assistants to work in…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

Medione PTE LTD Singapore extends generous support to Himalayan Women’s Health Project

April 8, 2015

The Medione medical supply company of Singapore has extended an enormously generous discount to Dr Quek Swee Chong for the purchase of the brilliant Samsung Sonoace R3 portable Ultrasound machine. This portable, full featured ultrasound machine will not only vastly enhance the ability of our gynecologists and OB/GYN specialists to have state-of-the-art diagnostic abilities when…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

Tanglin Trust School “Curry Night” benefit auction for The Himalayan Women’s Health Project is an enormous success

April 1, 2015

On March 27, 2015 a benefit auction was organized by the Tanglin Trust community to raise funds for the long term goals of The Himalayan Women’s Health Project. Dr Quek Swee Chong, the team leader gynecologist, once again shared the goals and challenges of the project in a compelling presentation prior to the bidding. Inspired…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

Tanglin Trust School in Singapore mobilizes March 27th fund raising effort in support of The Himalayan Women’s Health Care Project

March 22, 2015

One of the most renown and prestigious international expatriate schools in the world, The Tanglin Trust which is located in Singapore has continued it’s rich tradition of generous fund raising efforts in support of their mission statement mandate of emphasizing community service as an essential component of the student’s education. Tanglin Trust is sending another…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

Dr Dekyi Yangzom returns to Ladakh after a successful women health care training fellowship at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Calcutta

March 22, 2015

One of our women’s health care champions in Ladakh, Dr Deyki Yangzom, secured an extremely rare and beneficial opportunity to travel from Ladakh and be accepted as a temporary staff member of the prestigious Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Calcutta during the winter months of 2015. Because of the respect shared between the Head of…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

Dr Swee Chong takes delivery of Gynocular portable colposcope

March 22, 2015

Dr Swee Chong has received the two Gynocular portable colposcopes which we have ordered from the Gynius Company in Sweden. These units will vastly improve our ability to conduct accurate internal examinations of women who are living in some of the most remote regions in the world. We look forward to utilzing them extensively during…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

The Gynocular Portable Colposcope

March 3, 2015

The Gynocular Portable Colposcope – an amazing technological breakthrough in being able to conduct precision women’s health care examinations in the remote Himalayas. Dr Quek Swee Chong has been in consultation with the designers of a remarkable new portable, battery powered colposcope branded by the name of Gynocular. Manufactured by the Gynius Company in Sweden,…read more

Filed Under: Himalayan Women's Health

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
lvpei

Vision Testimonial

image005

All those associated with The Himalayan Vision Project are grateful for the tireless and heroic efforts of the teams of international vision health care physicians and optometrists who have brought vastly improved quality of life to countless men, women and children of Ladakh over the past 7 years.

Our objectives and capabilities have taken a quantum leap forward by virtue of an alliance formed with the prestigious LV Prasad Eye Institute located in Hyderabad. This invaluable collaboration was made possible by the friendship and shared ideals of one of the world's most renowned and admired cornea and stem cell specialists, Dr Virender Sangwan. Dr Sangwan came to the aid of a Ladakhi police officer who was suffering from an extremely serious eye condition and through the successful treatment of that very fortunate individual has become a friend and inspiration to us all.

[Read more...]

Womens Health testimonial

Dr Quek Swee Chong

Dr Quek Swee Chong

MBBCh, BAO (Dublin) MRCOG (UK) FAMS (Singapore)

Dr Quek Swee Chong is a specialist in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the ACS Clinic for Women Gleneagles Medical Centre. He was formerly Senior Consultant & Head, Pre-invasive Disease & Screening Unit, Department of Gynaecological Oncology, KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital. He serves on the board of the International Federation of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology. A former president of the Society of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology of Singapore, he now sits on the present council.

[Read more...]

Clinic Testimonial

Fully functional humanitarian health care
for the people of Ladakh.

SONY DSC

His Holiness the Dalai Lama
blessing the Lamdon Clinic

The Lamdon Clinic now serves as "Basecamp" for our ambitious goal of bringing world class dental, vision and women's health care to the people of Ladakh. Not only will we continue to offer cost free treatments for all who come to our doors, but we will now also be sending mobile screening teams of medical professionals to drive or hike to the remotest villages and settlements in the Indus, Nubra and Zanskar Valley regions of Ladakh to educate, examine and if necessary transport patients who need treatment and rehabilitation back to our main clinic complex in Leh.

We draw our guidance from the compassionate inspiration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who advocates doing all that is possible for those needlessly suffering or deprived of their basic human right of adequate medical care regardless of their religious loyalties, gender, citizenship or financial means.

We were greatly honored when His Holiness the Dalai Lama came to our clinic in 2012 and blessed it's capabilities and aspirations.

Coverage shown on Tibet Television network of His Holiness blessing the Lamdon Clinic

Dental Testimonial

dr-nordstrom

Julley everyone!  I'm Dr Marie Nordstrom, the resident dentist at the Himalayan Dental Project Clinic in Leh, Ladakh.  Two years ago I was working at a humanitarian dental clinic in Cambodia. When it was time to move on I was browsing around on the internet searching for another inspirational opportunity where I could volunteer my dental abilities and I came across the Himalayan Dental Project. I sent off an email expressing my interest to volunteer and within a few hours I had a reply from the project coordinator Bill Kite inviting me to join the the clinic team in Ladakh. After his first email I instinctively had a feeling that this would turn into something really significant and decided to book my flight to India and then up to Ladakh.  A short time later I found myself at more than 3,500m above sea level in the Himalayas with spectacular mountain views

[Read more...]

Medical Institutions

aiims new delhi
tilganga institute of ophthalmology
global clinic

International School Supporters

© 2025 Himalayan Health Project  Site by AS Photo

Share this...
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin