NUWAKOT (Nepal) — While refugee problems had soured the two neighbours’ relations in the past, the extent of the devastation that quake-hit Nepal is grappling with has led Bhutan to offer a helping hand, by deploying a relief team led by its royal physician.

Bhutan’s first-ever international relief effort involved a 62-man team of medical professionals and logistics staff, who have set up their camp in Nuwakot, one of the worst-hit areas from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Nepal on April 25.

Speaking to TODAY, Bhutanese royal physician Tobgyal Wangchuk said King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk wanted to send an experienced team to Nepal.

Dr Tobgyal said the earthquake victims were flocking to Nuwakot, but there were not many doctors in the district. “There were no surgeons, no orthopaedic (doctors), so when they (saw) people with broken bones, they didn’t know what to do, where to send (them),” he added.

Dr Tobgyal said the Bhutanese relief team had been welcomed by the Nepalis, despite the past problems between the two neighbours.

Back in the 1980s and ’90s, about 100,000 ethnic Nepalese said they had been forced out of Bhutan, alleging ethnic and political repression. In 2006, Bhutanese refugees in Nepal had demonstrated over several weeks to press for resettlement.

Dr Tobgyal told TODAY: “Whatever country, we always have problems, such as the ethnic problems in some countries ... We do what we can for each other.”

He described the Bhutanese efforts to help Nepal’s quake victims as “definitely a good way” to build their relationship.

“(The King) told us we are his ambassadors, we should do our best, make sure we have been useful to the Nepal government and that he will always be behind us, we needn’t worry,” Dr Tobgyal said.

On his team’s work so far, he said: “I think we’ve done okay … The timing is very fortunate, we came at the right time and right place.”

The Bhutanese campsite in Bidur, a municipal within Nuwakot, occupies the Trishuli Hospital and an empty plot of land beside it.

Set up specifically to handle trauma cases, the 36-bed site has seen a steady flow of patients each day, treating as many as 96 patients last Friday (May 1). The cases they have handled included patients with open fractures and those who needed amputations.

As the patient count dwindled, the Bhutanese camp sought the local government’s approval to bring a mobile team into the remote villages in search of more quake victims.

Dr Tobgyal acknowledged that there could have been more coordination among various groups involved in the relief efforts.

“We have the Red Cross here, but we have not met (others) officially anywhere,” he said.

With Nepal asking foreign countries to wrap up their search efforts, Dr Tobgyal shared his concerns about the patients in the camp not receiving sufficient care when his team leaves.

“Once they do surgery with us, it’s our responsibility to take care of the post-op, clean the wound; we cannot just hand over. So if the surgeon comes, we work together and slowly hand over to them,” Dr Tobgyal said.