How else can I help ?

The Emergency Medical Fund is for any Monk, Nun or Lay Tibetan in or near Sera Monastery, who needs medical assistance. For Monks and Nuns this enables them to continue with their studies and for some, to leave the monastery and work in the wider community, with love and compassion (the Buddha's teachings) as their base in life.  Many Tibetans succumb to minor ailments including sores that won't heal, ear and throat infections, tinea and coughs.  Unfortunately, most will develop into more serious diseases, and often require operations, simply because basic medical supplies are not available.  TB is still a major problem at Sera monastery and also the camps and villages surrounding the monastery.  Kidney and lung disease, cancer, septic sores and many more deadly ailments that are a daily hazard of living in poverty.  Some operations are extremely primitive, and are performed under archaic conditions and with obsolete implements, leaving many monks with major deformities. 

This money is used at the discretion of Khensur Rinpoche and Ven. Tenzin Dhargye (Monastery Coordinator of the scheme). In April 2003,  Khensur Rinpoche donated Rupees 50,000/00 to the Sera Je Health Care Committee, for improvements to the water supply. 

"People whose diet is consistently poor and living conditions are at poverty level become susceptible to diabetics and other chronic diseases, which often result in  intensive weight loss and high level of stress affecting the immune system making them  more prone or sensitive to TB" says Dr. Neeta Jain of Mumbia's J.J. Hospital. The majority of Tibetans coming into exile have some of those conditions conducive to the characteristics inviting TB. According to the data from Tuberculosis Research Center in Chennai, TB kills one Indian every minute, and 500,000 annually. So when Sera Monastery was first re-established in 1963, TB was common and it started prevailing simultaneously with the growing population. Unlike other communities,  the residents of Sera Monastery are all monks and while attending religious ceremonies or classes persons who have the disease transmit the deadly bacilli by coughing, sneezing or just talking. Hence TB spread widely in Sera Monastery with the majority of the patients in the age group of 15‑30 years old. 

Almost all TB patients at Sera have pulmonary or laryngeal TB. The process of treatment lasts anywhere between 6 months to 2 years. If the treatment is simple, it costs about Rs. 6500  (Aus$260.00) but some patients default or are allergic to the treatment and so unfortunately, are in more great danger of dying. The bacilli in their lungs develops resistance to anti‑TB drugs and people they infect get the drug‑resistant strain. Multi‑drug‑resistant TB (MDR‑TB) is resistant to Isonlazid and Rifamptsin; the most important anti‑TB drugs. Total dose of drugs per day costs about Rs.300 ($12.00) per MDR patient.  MDR patient takes longer to cure, the drugs are more toxic and expensive, complications of jaundice may occur and the treatment needs to be continued for about two years.   

Tuberculosis is one of several major health problems at Sera Je Monastery.  Although TB is the most wide spread, other diseases such as kidney and lung disease, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, septic sores and many more deadly ailments, are a daily hazard of living in poverty.   The Emergency Medical Fund has been established to give aid to the most urgent and needy monks. Every year our Monk Sponsorship Scheme receives notice of a number of monks who have passed away.....a very difficult letter to write and inform sponsors of this sad happening.  Other monks return to Tibet, sometimes because they are homesick or worried about relatives, but sadly, often because they are wretchedly ill, and want to die 'back home'.  This fund is endeavoring to alleviate this course by improving the health of our monks, before they yield to the dire consequences of going back to grave uncertainty or perhaps dying at Sera.    

The scheme is run solely by volunteers.  There are a great many costs to keep the scheme running (domain costs, bank charges, paper, printer ink, postage for new sponsors, arrears letters, receipts, computer software etc. etc. etc.), and so some sponsors pay ahead, and this money is held in an interest bearing deposit account.  However this is nowhere near enough to run the scheme and so some sponsors make additional donations with their contributions to help towards the costs of running the scheme.  

Some people wish to make donations to the scheme without wishing to be connected to a particular monk.  This is welcomed, and the decision on what to spend the money on is made by Khensur Rinpoche and Ven. Tenzin Dhargye (Scheme Coordinator at Sera).

In addition, a sponsor may wish to make specific payments to their monks for special purposes (e.g. medical expenses, travel expenses to teachings to other monasteries, Geshe Degree offerings etc.).  The scheme is able to send Special Purpose Donations on your behalf for these occasions. 
Please email us for further details.

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