PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two years ago, the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation announced a partnership with CHOICE Humanitarian Nepal to build a 16-bed rural hospital in the Ramechhap district of Nepal, approximately 200 km east of Kathmandu. The construction of the hospital's service and treatment areas was recently completed, and Mr. Khadga Sunwar, Mayor of Gokulganga, decided to open the hospital ahead of any public grand opening to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The hospital is the largest infrastructure of its size in the region and will be used to quarantine villagers who were exposed to COVID-19 while abroad, and if needed, treat any who are infected.

"The timing of the opening couldn't have been better for the tens of thousands of Nepalese from Ramechhap and Dolakha districts who were ordered to return to their home villages as part of the nation-wide lockdown," said David Stirling, founding executive and CEO of doTERRA. "Local leaders were worried about how to prepare for an influx of people and potential infection, but the timely completion of the hospital will alleviate that concern and provide the critical support needed during this time. We appreciate the efforts of CHOICE and our Healing Hands team to move this project forward, and we are grateful that it will fulfill an immediate need."

The hospital is the only medical facility of its kind in the area and is supported by the local municipality that used emergency relief funds to bring in a medical team, hospital beds and supplies. The hospital opened on March 28^th and is serving patients.

"It's wonderful to see the vision that CHOICE and the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation had over two years ago become reality, particularly during a time when critical care is so drastically needed," said Prateek Sharma, In-country Director for CHOICE Nepal. "The opportune completion of Gokulganga Rural Municipal Hospital means that nearly 60,000 Nepalese will have access to the health care they need to avert crisis in this area. We look forward to celebrating with a proper grand opening in the future when public health and travel constraints will allow us all to gather and appropriately honor this accomplishment."

About dōTERRA
dōTERRA® International is an integrative health and wellness company and the world leader in the Global Aromatherapy and Essential Oils market. dōTERRA sources, tests, manufactures and distributes CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade® essential oils and essential oil products to over eight million dōTERRA Wellness Advocates and customers. Through industry leading responsible sourcing practices, dōTERRA maintains the highest levels of quality, purity and sustainability in partnership with local growers around the world through Cō-Impact Sourcing®. The dōTERRA Healing Hands Foundation®, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, offers resources and tools to global sourcing communities and charitable organizations for self-reliance, healthcare, education, sanitation, and the fight against human trafficking. Through the life-enhancing benefits of essential oils, dōTERRA is changing the world one drop, one person, one community at a time. To learn more, visit www.doterra.com.

About CHOICE Humanitarian
Choice Humanitarian – 'The Center for Humanitarian Outreach and Inter-Cultural Exchange', is a strategic non-governmental organization (NGO) currently working in seven countries, Kenya, Nepal, Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico. CHOICE's overriding goal is to end extreme poverty and improve quality of life through a bottom-up, community-centered approach. Working with a small headquarters staff, CHOICE coordinates the efforts of full-time In-Country Directors and their staffs in all project countries. CHOICE was founded in 1982 by Dr. Tim Evans and Dr. James Mayfield and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Learn more at https://www.choicehumanitarian.org/

SOURCE doTERRA