Nitai Rajvanshi, who is known as the 'Village Doctor', does not treat what he cannot afford, he immediately 'refers' to the hospital.
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There is a postal highway running west from Bhadrapur in Jhapa to the border with Bihar, India. Mantri Chowk is reached after going west for about two kilometers from the starting point of the same highway. This square is named in memory of Gopal Chandra Singh Rajvanshi, who became the Minister of Commerce during the Panchayat period.
Nitai Rajvanshi at his clinic in Bhadrapur-3, Jhapa. Photo: Parvat Portel/Kantipur
In the same square, Nitai Rajvanshi's Ayurvedic orthopedic treatment center. He is a relative of that minister.
Nitai is known as the 'village doctor' of Hadjorni. He has been providing orthopedic treatment services to the common people in rural areas for 5 decades. His wisdom has brought relief to many. This legacy of Raithane knowledge has been passed down through four generations. Nitai's grandfather, Indrasingh, used to bind the broken and bruised bones of the villagers by tying them together about a hundred years ago. That knowledge Nitai's father Chandrasingh
followed. Chandrasingh fused bones for about 30 years. After the death of his father, Nitai also embraced the same profession.
Ajay, the youngest of Nitai's five sons, has become an MBBS doctor. He is currently working in his father's Ayurvedic treatment center. Nitai's other four sons are Vaidyas. They are working in clinics operating in Birtamod and Dhulabari.
"I learned this healing method by walking with my father since I was 7 years old," said 67-year-old Nitai, "I am sharing the knowledge that my father left behind." It has been 50 years since he started this service.
Because of his faithful treatment, patients from far and wide come seeking him. His technique seems to focus on herbs, massage and traditional bone-fixing methods. In the treatment, indigenous herbs are used. He also does physiotherapy style exercises. Nitai has become the first choice for many patients who cannot afford expensive treatment in modern hospitals. "Although Nitai's treatment method is not based on science, he is like a doctor for rural areas," said local Pankaj Sharma. Nitai studied only up to SLC. But from an early age he learned the treatment of various injuries of the bones and the body. He helped the common people of the village in general treatment. Over time, his skills gained fame. "I treat using as much knowledge as I can, those who believe come, they even leave after being cured," said Nitai, "I have treated about 100,000 people in 50 years."
Nitai doesn't give treatment that he can't, he immediately refers to the hospital. "I do not treat patients who have no possibility of bone fusion, I advise them to go to the hospital," he says. Modern medical science has been considering the traditional knowledge of those who have not received formal medical education as unproven. "Medical science does not trust this kind of treatment very much," said the former superintendent of Mechi Regional Hospital, Bhadrapur. Pitambar Thakur says, 'But the common people are believing, it is heard that healing is also taking place.'
