Kathmandu, Jan. 18 -- Two mountain medicine clinics that have saved hundreds of lives of trekkers and porters in the Khumbu region of Nepal have been forced to close down by the local municipality, allegedly in collusion with a helicopter company that profits from rescues.
The clinics at above 4,500m in Machermo village on the Gokyo trekking route are run by the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG) and Community Action Nepal (CAN) with support of the Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal (MMSN).
The shelter and rescue centres provided free care for porters and local people, which was paid for by charging trekkers who needed treatment for acute mountain sickness. But a new private clinic set up nearby in October 2019 started lifting t...