• Community Health Outreach Program
• Acute Diarrhoea Research Project
• Pneumonia Research Project
• Women's Micro Nutrition Research Project
• Clean Water Project
• Human Resource Development
• HIV/AIDS Harm Reduction Program
• HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (July 2006 onward)
• Bhaktapur's First Children's Playground

Community Health Outreach Program (March 2001 - September 2002)
Partially funded by the Canadian Corporation Office (CCO) Kathmandu, the program was focused on the remote village Kankrabari, located east of Bhaktapur. This village is a member of the Nangkhel Village Development Committee (VDC). The program aimed to increase health awareness in the area by educating residents about sanitation, hygiene, reproductive health, family planning, safe motherhood, diarrhoea and nutrition. Orientation programs, health empowerment trainings and programs that encouraged community participation were successfully undertaken to raise awareness amongst the village people, and to provide them with the motivation to work for themselves in the days to come.
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Acute Diarrhoea Research Project (January 1998 - August 2001)
The Siddhi Memorial Health Service Centre (SMHSC) cares for a large number of patients with diarrhoeal illnesses every year. Diarrhoea is difficult to control in the Bhaktapur area due to poor sanitation, malnutrition and poor food preparation practices. The Institute of Medicine and the University of Bergen, Norway in association with SMHSC completed the Acute Diarrhoea Research Project in 2001. It focused on the use of Zinc as treatment and prevention for these illnesses. The study involved over 1800 subjects and found that Zinc promoted habitualization of the gastrointestinal tract and proved effective in helping to control diarrhoea. This project was very successful and articles were published in the Pediatrics journal (Effectiveness and efficacy of zinc for the treatment of acute diarrhea in young children), as well as The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Predictors of plasma zinc concentrations in children with acute diarrhea). Due to this research doctors at SMH now recommend Zinc to control diarrhoea in the appropriate patients.
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Pneumonia Research Project (July 2003 - December 2007 [extended])
This project was made possible due to the success of the Acute Diarrhoea Research Project. In collaboration with Department of Child Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, and The Center for International Health, University of Bergen, Norway, SMH is the sole recruiter and centre for a large study, investigating the role of zinc as an adjunct to treatment in children under 3 with pneumonia. So far about 1500 children have been recruited. Thymus scans are preformed on recruited children to determine the effect of zinc on the immune system. Virus etiology is also performed, which allows doctors to determine which viruses are most common in the area. This project has allowed children in the study area to receive high quality free treatment, including a large input from fieldworkers who visit recruited children daily for 14 days to monitor their condition. The fieldworkers are able to offer essential healthcare advice, reaching out to a wider community. 2700 children were recruited and the project is currently in its follow-up stages. Medical research in Nepal is not widespread but such projects provide essential information about the population and how best to manage illness.
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Women's Micro Nutrition Research Project (August 2001 - April 2003)
The Women's Micro Nutrition Project, in conjunction with the Institute of Medicine and the University of Bergen, aimed to determine the nutritional status of women of childbearing age (15- 35 years) living in the Bhaktapur area. Women from different wards of Bhaktapur were randomly selected, and their food intake was monitored by the field workers. Blood tests were performed to assess the micro nutritional status (including levels of Iron, Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12 and foliate) of the women. Although some results of this study are still under analysis, others have been analyzed and have been submitted for publication.
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Clean Water Project (2001 onward):
In March 2001 the Water Treatment Plant was completed with the help of Italian donors led by Giorgio Bisotti. This plant provides clean water to the hospital and its surrounding communities. This project aimed to reduce the health problems stemming directly from the poor quality of available water in the vicinity of the hospital.
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Human Resource Development (ongoing):
The SMF has tried to hire the majority of its staff from the local area of Bhaktapur. To achieve this, with the help of overseas donors and sponsors, SMH has provided scholarships for the education of nine doctors, fifteen registered nurses, two community medical assistants, one community health worker, one dental assistant and one laboratory assistant. Some of the staff are currently employed at SMH while others are employmed elsewhere and will be joining the SMH when the hospital has completed its further developments.

The most recent medical students to receive scholarships from the SMF include: Mr. Hari Om Joshi and Mr. Madhusudan Kayastha, currently attending the Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara; Mr. Dhruba Shrestha, attending the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan and Mr. Suraj Dhaubhadel, attending the Dhaka Medical University, Bangladesh. Our newest recipients of nursing scholarships are Miss Kalpana Awal who has completed her certificate at the TU Nursing Campus, Maharajgunj; Miss Pratibha Khatry, attending the Sushma Koirala Memorial Nursing Campus, Kathmandu and Miss Sharada Barakoti, attending the TU Nursing Campus, Birgunj.

Among the previous five receipient scholarship to study medicine (MBBS) are:- Dr. Dhana Ratna Shakya (Completed 2002), Dr. Satya Narayan Suwal (Completed 2005), Dr. Yagya Ratna Shakya (Intern), Dr. Raj Bhakta Maharjan (Intern) and Dr. Ganendra Bhakta Raya (On going).

In addition to providing scholarships to deserving students, the SMF provides further training opportunities to existing staff. Among staff receiving such opportunities is Dr. Sita Shakya who, in September 2004, participated in a Reproductive Health Seminar held in Tokyo, Japan which was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
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HIV/AIDS Harm Reduction Program (July 2002 onward):
HIV/AIDS Harm Reduction Program is also a component of this Foundation that was launched from July 2002 partnering with Center for Harm Reduction (CHR) at first. Secondly, this program was launched from September 2003 to August 2004 partnering with Save the Children U.S.A (SC/US). Although there was a 4 months dark period between two phases – CHR and SC/US, Siddhi Memorial Foundation had provided continuing services to IDUs. From September 2004 until December 2006, the program was launched through the United nations Development Fund with support from AusAID.
Since January 2007, the program has been operating with funding from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Home Affairs. The program objective is to prevent and to contain the epidemic of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, and other blood born diseases among and from the Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) as well as encourage the primary target group to adopt a healthy life style. To achieve this IDUs are offered the knowledge, education and encourgement to practice safe sex by the use of condoms and to use only the Harm Reduction supplies when using drugs.
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HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (July 2006 onward):
In collaboration with World Vision International, Siddhi Memorial Foundation has also implemented a HIV/AIDS prevention program in the Bhaktapur region. The Major objective of the program is to increase community awareness of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, transmission of diseases, reproductive health and decrease community prejudice towards those infected with HIV and AIDS. This is being done by informing the youth through direct classroom activities and the training of the teachers in the community schools.
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Bhaktapur's First Children's Playground:
There are currently no children’s playgrounds in Bhaktapur and very few open spaces where children can play safely. The SMF is in the process of setting up a children’s playground on the SMF premises to provide a safe and educational environment for the children of our community. This playground is for the enjoyment and development of all children, including those attending the hospital and members of the community at large. The playground will offer a unique, informal place for parents, especially mothers, to exchange health information and to support each other. The children’s playground will also offer the elderly citizens of SSB precious contact with children where both will benefit as in a grandparent to grandchild relationship.
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