Four months ago, Phinjo Sherpa of Yangma in Phaktanglung Rural Municipality Ward No. 7 was injured after being hit by a yak. He had sustained a deep injury in his neck and was rendered immobile.

Since there were no youths available in the village to carry him to the nearest health institution, the villagers had to call health workers from Olangchung Gola to Yangma. But making a telephone call from the remote village of Yangma is not an easy task.

“We have to walk for three hours to reach a cliff named ‘gham lagne dando’ to make a telephone call from the Sky Phone network. Even then, we can make telephone calls only when the weather is good,” said Phinjo’s wife. “We were lucky that day. I could make a call to Chheten Sherpa Bhote, ward chairman of the rural municipality, and request him to send health workers to the village.”

According to her, ward chairman Bhote arrived at the village the next day with a medical team that provided treatment to Phinjo.

“We cannot afford to spend Rs 400,000 to Rs 500,000 to charter a helicopter for my husband’s treatment. That’s why I asked the ward chairman for help,” she said.

The village of Yangma in Phaktanglung Rural Municipality Ward No. 7 lies 4,200 metres above the sea level. It is the nearest settlement from Tiptala Bhanjyang, the Nepal-China border in Taplejung.

Yangma residents have been deprived of health, education, communication and other basic facilities due to the remoteness of the village. Ward chairman Bhote admits that the residents of Yangma are neglected because of their small population. There are only 52 people living in 13 houses in Yangma.

“If I had not reached Yangma with health workers on time, Phinjo’s health would have deteriorated further,” said Bhote. “The villagers cannot afford to charter a helicopter.”

The residents of Yangma have listed telephone services as their priority following health and education facilities in their village.

Although there’s a health post in the village, health workers have not been deployed to the facility since its establishment.

“We are preparing to send health workers to the health post in Yangma within the current fiscal year,” said Chheten Walung, spokesperson of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality. “We are also taking initiatives to bring telephone services to Yangma soon. We are holding discussions with lawmakers and the concerned authorities regarding the matter.”

Yogesh Bhattarai, a House of Representative, last week had requested Nepal Telecom to install a mobile tower in Yangma and connect optical fiber in Phungling, the district headquarters of Taplejung.