The Tibetan Delek Hospital is a Tibetan hospital founded in 1971 and located in Dharamsala in Northern India. It serves the Tibetan residents, and local Indian community in the region, including tourists from around the world. Delek Hospital also serves as the specialty referral site for Tibetan refugees who require specialized TB care.
Following in the footsteps of the 14th Dalai Lama more than 150,000 Tibetan refugees have fled to India during the past 50 years. There are currently about 120,000 Tibetan refugees living in India today. The Tibetan diaspora maintains a government in exile in Himachal Pradesh, which coordinates political activities for Tibetans in India.
Over the past 40 years, Delek hospital’s range of services has increased from a small dispensary to the multi-facility hospital with 45 patient beds. The Tibetan Delek Hospital was founded in 1971 to provide much-needed health care to the Tibetan and local Indian communities in Dharamsala, India in the foothills of the Himalayas. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is the hospital’s patron. The 45-bed charitable hospital provides general medical care that also includes specialized services for TB, the single most serious infectious disease that threatens the Tibetan population and new arrivals from Tibet. In collaboration with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Delek Hospital has recently launched an initiative to eradicate TB from the community. Delek also has strong maternal and child health care programs, a service sorely lacking in the area. User fees are kept exceptionally low so that the poor can afford treatment in this hospital.
Delek Hospital maintains a strong collaborative relationship with the Tibetan Medicine school (MentseeKhang) which is located next door to the hospital. This includes cross referrals and interdisciplinary case discussions.
AN EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY ON DELEK HOSPITAL
Delek Hospital regularly hosts medical students from around the world. The hospital has hosted medical volunteers for many years and is particularly interested in physicians who can assist in providing clinical care and education.
Dharamsala is a safe and vibrant community that offers a wide range of affordable accommodations, cultural enrichment, and an inspiring community. There are numerous monasteries located in the vicinity, including the monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Please contact Jim Duffy MD at james.d.duffy@kp.org or 510.752.7807 if you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities.