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The Most Affordable

Volunteer fees starting at just $255

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Since 1998, over 18,000 volunteers, hundreds of reviews

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No Middlemen, Pay fees directly to host families and projects

Nepal Medical Volunteer Program

Do you want to gain real clinical experience abroad, somewhere it genuinely counts? Would you like to spend a few weeks inside a working Nepali hospital, learning from doctors and nurses who treat far more patients with far fewer resources? Then our Nepal Medical Volunteer Program is the perfect opportunity for you. We place students and health professionals alongside local clinical teams in Kathmandu and Chitwan, in the departments where they most want experience.

Nepal’s hospitals are busy and short-staffed, and that is exactly where a volunteer counts. The patients you sit with get time and attention they would not otherwise receive, and the staff you support get an extra pair of hands for the work. At the same time, you also learn about the procedures while helping. When you ask why a decision was made, or how a diagnosis was reached, the staff around you explain their reasoning- and that is how you come to understand how healthcare really works in Nepal.

RCDP has been arranging medical placements in Nepal since 1998, and we do it through our own coordinators and hospitals we know. Whether you’re seeking exposure to a specific medical field or a well-rounded experience across specialties, we will match you to a department that fits your background and your goals and confirm availability before you commit to anything.

Join us on this journey and contribute to positive changes while advancing your medical career.

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Nepal Medical Volunteering


Purpose:

Support healthcare in disadvantaged communities.

Start Dates:

Each Monday of the month year round

Duration:

1–12 weeks.

Volunteer Hours:

4-5 hours per day, Monday–Friday.

Who Can Join?

Medical students, nurses, or health professionals.

Accommodation:

Host family or volunteer house.

Why Choose Medical Volunteering in Nepal with RCDP?

Volunteering in the RCDP medical program lets you learn alongside local doctors, serve communities with limited health access, and gain real clinical exposure. You’ll contribute to meaningful health outcomes while advancing your skills in a supportive and immersive environment. As a medical volunteer you will be:

  • Working alongside doctors and nurses in hospitals and clinics in Kathmandu and Chitwan
  • Choosing the department that matches your field and your career plans
  • Seeing how diagnoses are made and treatment decided with limited equipment and staffing
  • Building confidence with patients from a very different background to your own
  • Supported on the ground by our own Nepali coordinators from arrival to departure
  • Paying fees that go straight to the hospitals and host families, with no middlemen
  • Free at weekends to trek, explore the Kathmandu Valley, or visit Chitwan

Volunteer Responsibilities

Your responsibilities depend on your qualifications, your interests, and the department you are placed in. Students and pre-med volunteers spend most of their placement observing and assisting, while nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, and doctors are given more involved work, always under the supervision of the local clinician responsible for the patient. Your role is confirmed with the hospital at the start of your placement, so you will know what you can do before you begin. Day to day, your work may include:

  • Shadowing doctors and nurses through consultations, ward rounds, and procedures
  • Assisting with patient intake — recording details, taking vital signs, updating records
  • Supporting patients before and after treatment, and helping the department run smoothly
  • Helping with dressings, basic wound care, and first aid, where your qualifications allow and a supervising clinician is present
  • Assisting physiotherapists during therapy and rehabilitation sessions
  • Taking part in health education and hygiene awareness sessions
  • Joining immunisation clinics and community health camps when the hospital is running them
  • Learning how a busy department manages limited equipment, staffing, and budget

Skills and Qualifications

This project is open to pre-med and medical students, nursing students, and aspiring medical students, as well as to qualified healthcare professionals- nurses, physicians, paramedics, EMTs, and physiotherapists. What you are able to do during your placement depends on your level of training, so your responsibilities are agreed with by the hospital when you arrive.

In addition, you are expected to be patient and helpful. You should have a great love and passion for helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and possess a large degree of kindness, flexibility, and patience.

Volunteer Schedule

As part of the Nepal medical volunteer program, you can expect a new and rewarding experience each day. It’s a chance to make a real difference while gaining valuable medical experience in a developing country.

You’ll be placed with different hospitals and clinics across Nepal, each with its own needs, programs, and day-to-day activities. Because of this, there’s no single fixed routine - your tasks may vary from day to day. Come prepared for a fulfilling experience, with plenty of opportunities to help along the way.

Here is a sample of the daily schedule:

  • 7.00 AM – 7.30 AM – Enjoy a delicious breakfast and get ready to start your day
  • 7.45 AM – After breakfast, you will head to the hospital to gain meaningful medical volunteer experience, assisting patients, doctors, and nurses
  • 12.00 PM – Lunch break: Enjoy a delicious traditional Nepalese meal with your host and fellow volunteers
  • 3.00 PM – You will complete your medical program at this time. Now you can freely explore nearby places
  • 6.45 PM – A great time to enjoy a delicious traditional Nepalese meal with your host and fellow volunteers

Start Dates

The Nepal medical volunteer program starts each Monday of the month, all year long. If you experience any travel difficulty or distress getting to Nepal on the day of your chosen program, please let us know. We will adjust your starting date accordingly.

Fees

Every year, hundreds of volunteers arrive in Nepal to volunteer from UK and USA-based organizations and end up paying up to $2500 to volunteer for 2 weeks. However, RCDP offers the most affordable program fee. Our program fee starts as low as $255. The program fee is divided into a registration fee ($279) and a weekly fee. In Nepal, in addition to volunteer programs, RCDP runs many projects to help poor children and orphanages. We are currently running one orphanage in Nepal and a school construction and renovation program (for details, visit: RCDP Achievements).

The majority of your fee is used for your program. However, as RCDP aims to support poor communities and children, we use the remaining savings (if any are left) to run or manage our orphanages and community projects.

The weekly fee is split between accommodation and three daily local meals (50%) and project implementation costs, along with support for local project staff (50%). Allocation may vary depending on location, project type, and other factors. However, our coordinator will explain these matters before you pay the fee.

Weeks Medical (Kathmandu or Chitwan)
  1 Week   $255
  2 Weeks   $500
  3 Weeks   $675
  4 Weeks   $850
  5 Weeks   $1,025
  6 Weeks   $1,200
  7 Weeks   $1,375
  8 Weeks   $1,550
  9 Weeks   $1,725
  10 Weeks   $1,900
  11 Weeks   $2,075
  12 Weeks   $2,250

Comprehensive Travel Insurance: $4.49/day

Medical Supplements fee: USD 50/week

1 Week Language and Culture Program fee $250

The weekly fees include:

  • Housing
  • Food (two meals a day)
  • Airport pick up
  • In-country support
  • Program Orientation
  • Personalized project
  • Pre-departure information
  • Certificate of completion
  • Fundraising ideas and letters
  • Discount for returning volunteers

The weekly fees exclude:

  • Visas
  • Airfare
  • Personal expenses on soft drinks and foods
  • Daily transportation
  • Airport return transfer
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Accommodation & Food

During your medical volunteering program in Nepal, RCDP arranges comfortable accommodation and daily meals so you can focus on your volunteer work and enjoy your time in the country.

Depending on your placement, you will stay either with a host family or in a volunteer house. Staying with a host family gives you a great opportunity to experience Nepali culture, daily life, and local traditions. A volunteer house, on the other hand, allows you to live and interact with other international volunteers.

Rooms are usually shared with volunteers of the same gender. Basic bathroom facilities with running water are available, although hot water may not always be provided. If you stay with a host family, please keep in mind that some homes may not have Western-style toilets.

You will receive home-cooked meals each day. Meals are generally simple, fresh, and based on traditional Nepali food. This often includes rice, lentils, vegetables, and other local dishes. Living and eating with local people can also be a memorable part of your medical volunteering experience in Nepal.

Learn more about your accommodation and meal plans in Nepal .

Safety and in Country Support

If you’re looking for a safe, secure, and comfortable experience during your stay, RCDP is committed to providing exactly that from beginning to end.

From the moment you arrive to the day you depart, our in-country coordinator and project staff will stay in close contact with you, regularly checking in on your program and accommodation to make sure everything is running smoothly. You’ll also be provided with the phone numbers of our support staff, so help is always just a call away.

Our coordinator remains available 24/7, ready to assist with any concerns and to respond immediately in case of an emergency, giving you support throughout your volunteering journey.

The same in-country team supports every one of our programs, so if you are still weighing this against another placement, you can compare them all on our main volunteer in Nepal page.

Learn more about our safety and in country support in Nepal.

Project Sample: Medical Volunteer Project in Kathmandu

Our Medical Volunteer Project in Kathmandu gives volunteers practical exposure to Nepal’s healthcare system, working alongside medical professionals and hospital staff. We partner with two major hospitals in Kathmandu and one in Chitwan. In Kathmandu, the projects are located in Kalanki and Swoyambhu and volunteers are placed according to their qualifications, experience, and interests, with hospital staff on hand throughout to help find the right fit.

Our Kalanki hospital sees roughly 100 to 150 patients a day across departments including orthopedics, general medicine, emergency care, ICU, and other specialist and general services. Depending on your background, you may observe or assist in a suitable department, always under the guidance of hospital professionals. It is about 10 minutes’ walk from our volunteer hostel — an easy, everyday commute. Kalanki itself is a busy, well-connected part of western Kathmandu, a key transport link to the rest of the valley, with markets, shops, restaurants, and residential streets giving it a lively, local feel.

Our second hospital, in Swoyambhu, is somewhat larger by patient volume, seeing around 150 to 200 patients a day, with the same range of departments. Getting there takes a 10-minute walk followed by a short bus ride — a small daily taste of how people actually get around Kathmandu. Swoyambhu, also known as Swayambhunath, is one of Kathmandu’s most significant cultural and religious neighbourhoods, home to the Swayambhunath Stupa, perched on a hill with sweeping views over the valley.

Our Chitwan hospital sits in Ratnagar Municipality, in Tandi, and sees around 75 to 100 patients a day across a range of departments. It is a smaller and quieter setting than either Kathmandu placement, which suits volunteers who would rather spend time in a district hospital than a busy city one. The hospital is about 15 minutes' walk from your accommodation, where you stay with a local host family and eat at home-cooked Nepali meals each day- one of the simplest ways to get a feel for daily life in the Terai. Chitwan National Park is roughly 7 km away from your accommodation, close enough for a weekend of jungle safari, canoeing, and rhino and bird spotting without travelling far from your placement.

At all three hospitals, volunteers work Monday to Friday, roughly 4 to 6 hours a day, and project staff are on hand to help match you in the right department.

Free Time and Weekend Exploration

You’ll have plenty of free time to explore during your medical volunteer project in Nepal. On weekdays, you’ll work around 4–5 hours, Monday to Friday, leaving your evenings free to discover the city’s attractions, often alongside fellow volunteers exploring the area together.

Weekends are yours to explore. Nepal is full of beautiful places - tall mountains, calm lakes, green jungles, and old temples - so there’s always something amazing to see. Whether you enjoy nature, wildlife, or history, you’ll find something to do on your day off.

Learn more about your free time and weekend exploration in Nepal.

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Medical Volunteering in Nepal – FAQs

Program structure and placement

What to expect

Eligibility and preparation

Cost and planning

 

Other Amazing Volunteer Opportunities in Nepal

RCDP arranges many other volunteer opportunities in Nepal. Please check out the following links for detailed information.

Get more info now

Take a minute to complete the form and we will be in touch.