Bombs destroyed much of the country, and although the war is over, thousands of bombs and antipersonnel mines remain hidden around the countryside. Villagers quickly gather up the victim, lay them in a blanketed oxcart and begin the long, bumpy ride to the nearest hospital. Usually it is impossible to save the shattered limbs. The villagers focus on keeping the victim alive. They also recognize that hospitals are not sterile places.
Surgeons normally wash their hands in wooden buckets nurses have filled at nearby wells or streams.
Holding on to trees, the nurses climb up and down narrow dirt paths, knowing that these same streams are used for patient bathing. Families often take the responsibility of bringing water to their sick relatives. The hospitals have no toilets, so as soon as patients are able to walk, they journey to a nearby field to relieve themselves. The Luang Namtha Hospital is the largest medical facility in its province. It has 60 beds but no running water and no toilets.