Parbati arrives at Lumbini Provincial Hospital early in the morning, clutching a small notebook where she writes the words she cannot say aloud. She has lived with hearing loss since she was thirteen. Most health visits feel like battles she must fight alone. But today is different.

As she walks down the corridor, she sees Anjali waiting for her. Anjali is a facilitator who can communicate in sign language and is posted at the hospital to support people with disabilities. She signs her greeting and Parbati’s shoulders drop. For the first time, she knows she will not need to struggle to make herself understood.

Anjali has been here for twelve months. She has become the first point of contact for anyone with a disability seeking care. She guides them through the maze of rooms. She sits beside them during check ups, helps them understand prescriptions and makes sure nothing gets lost in translation. Even when there are no patients with disabilities, she supports anyone who needs help.

She laughs that she walks more than the doctors because she spends her day escorting people from one service to another. Earlier that morning, she had helped an elderly man reach his ward before returning to welcome Parbati.

Around twenty to twenty five people with disabilities visit this hospital every month. Most do not come alone. Relatives accompany them because they know this is a place where they will not be dismissed or misunderstood. Some patients are vision impaired. Some cannot speak. Some sign fluently. Others do not sign at all. For those who have never learned sign language, Anjali uses written notes. She does whatever it takes to ensure no one leaves without the care they came for.

She learned sign language because in Kapilvastu, where she grew up, children with disabilities were often invisible. She remembers seeing them kept at home because society did not know how to include them. That memory stayed with her. It is why she learned sign language and why she now helps anyone who walks through the hospital doors. She says she feels she is saving lives simply by showing up with compassion and skill.

“I want people to feel safe the moment they walk in,” she says. “No one should be afraid of going to the doctor.”

Parbati is one of the many women who rely on her. She works in a small photo studio three kilometres away. She learned about the hospital through the Butwal Deaf Association, which told her interpretation support was available. She came with her sister for a hearing check and stayed because everything that had felt impossible elsewhere was suddenly simple here.

Her sister left her with the interpreter because she trusted her. At home, not everyone understands sign language. Parbati manages on her own most days, but health visits have always been the hardest.

“If she was not here,” Parbati says, “I would go room to room and hope someone understood me.”

With support from the UNFPA Supplies Partnership, this hospital is becoming a place where people with disabilities can access care without fear or confusion. UNFPA works to ensure that every person can make informed choices and receive services in safety and with dignity.

Here, that commitment becomes real each time Anjali takes a patient’s hand, signs a word they need to understand, or sits beside them during a consultation so their voice is not lost.

Parbati leaves her appointment with a quiet smile. She feels seen. And she knows she will return when she needs to, not because she has no choice, but because now she finally does.