Laos’ Nurses as Vanguards of Public Health Care?

A Korean-financed hospital in the author’s field site in Attapeu, Laos | Photo: Amelie Katczynski

In an article for New Mandala, Amelie Katczynski reflects on Laos' internal public health developments, which pursues a vision of socialist health care that emerged during the Lao revolution. Yet, as challenges persist, Lao nursing students train to be vanguards of health development, training beyond nursing skills, playing the role of developing citizens and citizen-developers.

The Principal gestures: the student nurses lift the rice bag. It takes four of them. Sweat runs past their grimacing smiles but they stand ready in front of the health centre for a photo. The building’s white walls and red roof match the houses in the background; their uniformity strikes me as unusual for rural Laos. A plaque reads that Korean aid financed this centre after a dam collapse in 2018 swept away the old village. On the way here we passed its ruins, and just before it—where there once was forest—saw workers from Chinese-owned banana plantations bathe in chemical-polluted streams.

The Principal thanks the NGO for the rice, nutrition for her students during their six-week internship. She calls out: “Help each other!” “Show solidarity with the villagers!” Students shall develop the village and people’s health, educate, collect data, and gain experience.

“What do you think about this place?”, I ask nursing student Lom (pseudonym). “It’s ok. The way here is very far, I think it’s hard to find food”, she mumbles. She looks back to the dirt road where villagers on small motorcycles circumvent massive holes.

The teachers wish the nurses “good health” and “good luck”, then board the NGO-sponsored vans and drive off. They will return every week to hear a report. The students stay, with their mission to develop.