The Foreign Service Journal, December 2004

supplies for a primitive but functional diagnostic laboratory that included a kerosene-operated incubator and refrig- erator. I hired a secretary, a young Nepalese man who was the proud owner of an ancient typewriter, and set out to identify the health problems and prepare a five-year plan for the king to improve the health of his people. Targetting Malaria in the Terai One day, as if by a miracle, a young Gurkha officer, Shiva Bahadur Rai, appeared. Home on leave from what was then Britain’s Federation of Malaya, Shiva was interested in our program. He had survived eight weeks in enemy terri- tory after escaping from a POW camp in Italy during World War II. His story inspired me, and he accepted my invita- tion to join us as my administrative offi- cer. While he had no formal medical training, his knowledge of the land, its people and customs proved invaluable. Also, as a Gurkha, he was respected by both the Nepalese and my staff. Shiva organized safaris to venture to remote villages where I could begin to assess the people’s needs. We found trustworthy porters to carry our equip- ment over miles of trails and retired but able-bodied Gurkha soldiers to assist us with operations. These initial safaris provided sufficient information to assemble a five-year health plan and present it to the king’s council for approval. There was still no word from Washington, but the new king approved the plan and a first-year budget of F O C U S D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 43 Shiva Bahadur Rai was a Gurk- ha officer from the Himalyan foothills who served in the British army.