hospital tour

5/6/08

It's been awhile since my last email...lots has happened and it's hard to decide what to relate. Summer has arrived to southern India along with almost nightly 'pre-monsoon showers'....mango season is in full swing, and daily stops at the juice counter have become part of my routine. My papaya man has been replaced by my coconut guy...Apparently fresh coconut water cures everything from heat stroke to kidney stones, so I've decided sipping some fresh coconut water daily is a good habit.

I had my first visit to an Indian hospital, and am still in denial that it was in anyway related to my previous night out binging on tasty street food. Rushing to an emergency room while vomiting out of a moving rickshaw is an experience I'm hoping not to repeat. However the doctor, in a bright yellow sari and crisp white jacket, was very efficient (as well as a little shocked to see a westerner). After a quick examination and a few shots her suggestion was to 'drink fresh coconut water'....I would have laughed if I wasn't hunched over her waste basket. I'm fully recovered and am trying to stick to her theory that a coconut a day keeps the doctor away. In the mean time I'm laying off the pani puri

This past weekend however, may have been the highlight of my trip so far. There is a hospital 250 km north of Bangalore in Pavagada, a rural area of Karnataka. The hospital was started and run by an amazing swami (think orange robes, Sanskrit chants, and an uncanny sense of humor)...my work is associated with the hospital and has been involved in providing funding for TB treatment for children. Part of the agreement when I came out to work in Bangalore, was that I'd get to go visit the clinic and the surrounding villages it treats.

This turned out to be one of the most inspiring weekends of my life. One of my favorite books is 'Mountains Beyond Mountains' about Paul Farmer, an incredibly dedicated doctor who sets up and runs a clinic in Haiti....This place is the Indian equivalent. The hospital serves over 500 villages and depends heavily on community volunteers. It treats a variety of ailments, but focuses on Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and blindness. Often villages are so remote the only way patients can get to the hospital is in an ox drawn 'ambulance'. We drove out to two surrounding villages, and visited TB patients , many are children, who with the help of volunteers in the village (one a tailor, another a local teacher) are able to follow a strict treatment in order to be cured. We met lepers in the hospital who were being given special sandals to ease the pain in their deformed feet. We saw doctors preparing patients for cataract surgery to restore their vision.....all free of cost. It was amazing...Everything was run efficiently, the treatments are holistic and effective (not only providing medicine, but food, education and often clothing), and the staff is passionate and friendly. I'm counting down the days until I can go back. Until then...

Best from Bangalore

Karina