A data manager with a Scottish health board has sold her house and most of her worldly goods, to finance the building of a community hospital in Nepal.
Kathryn McIntosh, who is originally from Seattle but has lived in Scotland for the last 13 years, is preparing to leave New Elgin in Moray for her new life more than 4500 miles away in a village near Kathmandu.
Later this year she will give up her career with NHS Grampian at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, managing data from clinical oncology trials. But her house is already sold.
In March, aged 53, she took her vows to become Buddhist nun, the Venerable Lobsang Khand. It had all started a few years ago when she travelled to the south of India to Sera Jey Monastery.
"There I met with a very quiet monk named Venerable Ngawang Palden," she said. "He was the teacher of some boys I sponsored at the monastery and I wanted to meet all of them. He often spoke to me of his family in Nepal and wanted so much for me to go there."
She visited his village in the mountains and met his family. Palden told her of a dream he had since he was young, that his village would have a medical facility. The closest medical care for the community of around 16,000 is four hours away.
"He never asked me for money, just ideas," she said. On her return to Scotland she sought out Dr David Hurman, ex-consultant clinical oncologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary who had been the co-founder and visiting consultant for Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, in Nepal. He said her plan for the community hospital was ambitious, but viable.
The land for the hospital is costing £1800. Meanwhile, £1373 will clear and level it and the construction costs will be around £20,300.
She said: "Community nurses will be arranged. Trainee doctors and nurses will come and use our facility to keep learning and practice their craft. UK doctors will be invited to come and stay with us and help with larger projects such as eye clinics, vaccination clinics, health clinics where ever we can fit them in."
Initially, Ms McIntosh will be the hospital administrator, while training local staff. She will also be supporting another nun to work with her and act as translator. Until she leaves Scotland in January, she will raise money for the project.
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