Author: Angie Shah
Legacies are built on reflections of the past and movements to inspire a brighter future. At the beginning of the BTF’s 2024 Updates on Hematology and Oncology conference in Houston, Dr. Shah talked about the legacy of the Binaytara Foundation and his plans for its future. He began his speech by taking a look at the very beginning of this incredible journey – the moment he started his internal medicine residency in the United States.
Reflecting on the past
“Coming from Nepal, it was very different,” Dr. Shah said. “My colleagues from India and that part of the world, they don’t have access to so many things- access to care, access to electricity, access to toilets, access to food. So when I started getting a stipend as a resident, everything felt so amazing. All of a sudden, we had access to many things that I could never imagine. But then a few months later, you know, my wife and I started thinking what the purpose of our life is.”
He continued with an inspiring statement: “Who we are is a result of somebody else’s giving. Our parents gave us life, our teachers gave us education. Trees give us oxygen, and Planet Earth gives us everything. And you know what would happen if they stopped giving? We would not exist. It doesn’t really matter how smart you are, how beautiful you are, how wealthy you are. If others stop giving, we stop existing.”
Dr. Shah and his wife, Tara Shah, knew that there were disparities in Nepal and in the rural town of Lewiston, Idaho where they worked at the time. They also knew that the best way that a medical resident and a nurse could give back to others was by improving access to healthcare. These powerful realizations drove Dr. Shah and Tara to establish the Binaytara Foundation with the goal of giving back to others by reducing health disparities. Even in the beginning, organizing small CME conferences in Lewiston, Dr. Shah had the same vision that continues to inspire him to this day – to reduce health disparities by improving access to evidence-based cancer care for people around the world, regardless of their educational status, financial status, or cultural background.
Movements to impact the future
The Binaytara Foundation currently organizes nearly 50 conferences all over the United States every year and hosts an annual global summit in Nepal. Binaytara has been involved in many impactful projects, like supporting the establishment of the only bone marrow transplant center in Nepal and partnering with the government of India to establish several hospice and palliative care programs in Madhya Pradesh. Not to mention, the Binaytara Foundation built the first cancer hospital in the Madhesh province of Nepal, providing better access to that region of six million people and to millions more in the bordering Indian state of Bihar.
Our achievements don’t stop there. The Binaytara Foundation is also releasing the first CME-accredited oncology gaming app in the world. Known as OncoBlast, this app is targeted toward healthcare providers and medical students but is available to anyone interested in learning about cancer.
Dr. Shah says that the Binaytara Foundation is planning to expand its 25-bed hospital in Nepal to a 200-bed world-class cancer hospital complete with state-of-the-art technology and staffed with highly qualified nurses, physicians, and other staff. Dr. Shah said, “It’s going to be a very impactful project in my mind. We are hoping to treat at least 20,000 new cancer patients every year, once the hospital is fully established.” The Binaytara Foundation is already on its way to making this kind of impact. We recently received a building permit from the government of Nepal and construction is planned to start by the end of 2024. Join us in building our legacy by supporting the construction of this hospital.
