Crowdfunding platform Nyaya raises cash for health care for Nepal’s poor

Despite severe stomachache, Gorakh Bahadur Saud walked for three hours to reach Bayalpata Hospital in Accham in rural Nepal where he was diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction so severe that it required surgery to prevent a rupture.

The hospital wasn't equipped for such major surgery, and the 52-year-old farmer was referred to a facility in the town of Nepalgunj, a 14-hour drive from Bayalpata. Even worse than the lengthy journey was the treatment's cost - more than 50,000 rupees (HK$ 3,877) - that Saud could not afford.

That's when a group of strangers from around the world stepped in to save the day by donating the cost of Saud's treatment through a crowdfunding platform started by the organisation Nyaya Health.

In December, the New York-based NGO officially launched its Crowdfund Health portal to solicit donations to fund health care for the poor.

"Crowdfund Health is our effort to bring more attention to this model," said Mark Arnoldy, Nyaya's executive director. "It's through our site we are able to direct attention to our patients."

Nyaya partnered with other crowdfunding platforms, including Watsi and Kangu. Watsi works to "directly fund life-changing medical care", while Kangu solicits funds to pay for safe births.