Kathmandu ( AsiaNews) - Driven out of hospitals because "incurable " and moved away from their villages for fear of infection, increasing numbers of sick people in Nepal have decided to ask God for the grace of healing and spend their time in church praying. The phenomenon relates to Christians and non-Christians who are disillusioned by doctors and rely on the healing power of prayer. Dipen Pradhan, the Protestant pastor of the church Gyaneshwor , confirms: "Many come to us and find the strength to fight their disease".
Among the most frequent pathologies of those seeking comfort are AIDS patients, lepers and people with rabies. National hospitals do not have access to therapies to combat these diseases, and are forced to turn patients away. Jeet Kumar, manager of a district hospital, confirms: "It is not malice, is that we have no vaccines or medicines. If the government provided them or gave us the means to access them, we'd like to do something for these people."
But given the domestic economic situation, and increasing disparities in the use of state resources for hundreds of patients the only hope remains that of a grace. Kanchha Sunar, 70, is a member of the Development Committee of the village of Lapu (Gorkha district). He was bitten by a dog suffering from rabies, which died a few days later , but was refused by the hospital in the area. Though a Hindu, he went to a Christian Church for help .
His condition worsened: "The doctors have done nothing - says his grandson - because he already had an advanced stage of infection. He now lives in the Church and is counting his last days, but we hope that God has mercy and saves his life " . He made the decision to travel to a place of Christian worship thanks to the advice of friends and relatives : "I have asked Christ to heal me - he says - but I will accept what comes".