Me in my sari that Dada and his wife Monisha helped me to purchase
CFHI Progam: Pune, India
Time: August 2011
Thank you for visiting my blog! I am excited to finally detail my experience as a participant with Child and Family Health International’s Child and Maternal Health Program in Pune, India (what a mouthful!). As some of you know, I was blessed to receive one of CFHI’s scholarships to help offset the cost of the program. I was both surprised and happy to receive the scholarship, and would like to thank CFHI for the opportunity! I think that it is great that CFHI tries to help out students who normally wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of the program and airfare.
The magnificent gateway to India in Delhi. I visited the capital for a weekend.
As an aspiring physician, I applied to CFHI due to my interest in healthcare on a global scale. As the world’s economy continues to teeter back and forth, we must ensure that the poor are not increasingly denied access to healthcare. The availability and affordability of preventive services, both in the United States and in developing countries such as India, is crucial to the well-being of the world’s most vulnerable communities . With a population of over one billion people, second only to China, the healthcare situation in India has always been of particular interest to me. India offers free healthcare to its citizens through government funded hospitals and clinics. While there is definitely a struggle to adequately supply and staff such facilities, particularly in rural areas, the overall intent and desire to ensure access to healthcare services is an inspiring mission. As a result, I was thrilled and excited as I traveled to Pune, India on August fifth to begin my program.
As for my own personal background, I recently completed my premedical requirements as part of a post baccalaureate program at UNC-Greensboro. I currently work as a CNA while I apply to medical school. It is my goal to provide primary care to underserved communities as a physician in the future.
One of many busy intersections in Pune. I will NEVER forget the craziness of the traffic!
I flew into Mumbai and CFHI arranged for a travel agency to meet me at the airport and drive me immediately to Pune. When I first arrived, I was greeted by monsoon season—heavy rains. The weather actually turned out to be a great time to stay in Pune as August temperatures are quite mild, especially at night. At the airport, hundreds of people were milling about outside even though it was close to 3 o’clock in the morning, and I was able to quickly find my travel agency. I became a bit nervous and unsettled as I was driven the two hour drive to Pune with five men, including the driver. Driving through the city of Mumbai first, and then through the mountains, helped to assuage my worries of safety as I focused on the amazing scenery around me. Even at 3 o’clock in the morning people were everywhere in the city’s streets, and driving through the mountains was an incredible experience I will not soon forget.
After some searching, the driver dropped me off at the guesthouse that was to be my home for the next month. Dada, the
My room at the guesthouse.
caretaker and driver, greeted me warmly despite the early morning hours. He explained to me that I would meet Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Dabak, the directors of the CFHI program in India, in the morning. Admittedly, the next hours were a source of turmoil for me as I was informed that the other expected participant for that month was no longer coming, and that the other students expected to stay on for additional weeks were also gone. I will honestly say, unless you are a completely independent person who is comfortable traveling alone in a new country, any time of the year would be great to attend the program. However, there are some months with only one student; if you, like me, think that you would be more comfortable traveling with another person, then I would ensure up to the day you leave that you will not be alone. Having someone to explore India can really enhance your overall experience as I found out after meeting my friend Asha towards the end of the program. At the same time, CFHI and the Dabaks do their absolute best to make you comfortable and ensure that your stay is as educational and life changing as one might expect it to be.
Beingn driven my Dada on a scooter to rotations for the day.
Each day I woke up around 8am and Dada would drive me on a scooter to the Dabaks house for breakfast. You must enjoy chai tea while in India, it is absolutely delicious and typically drank by Indians several times during the day. The Dabaks are extremely nice about preparing food that is suited to
Vegetables with chapatis, yummy!
your taste, especially according to how spicy you like your food. However, it is great to be
adventurous and try the unknown (I recommend all types of dhal,
chapatis, and biryani chicken!). The food is absolutely delicious. I came back to the United States thinking that I could easily become a vegetarian if I lived in India as the food is so wonderfully prepared I would not miss meat at all.
After breakfast, Dada would drive me to the doctor I was scheduled to shadow for the day. During my time in Pune I shadowed obstetricians, gynecologists, primary care physicians, and pediatricians. Every single doctor went out of his or her way to explain how he or she was treating patients, and what ailments and problems each patient was experiencing. Unlike in the United States where doctors often take time in between patients, in India, patients file in and out of the doctor’s room in a steady stream. I watched in amazement as one pediatrician saw about five patients in fifteen to twenty minutes. The fact that the doctors still took the time to translate what they were doing to me and to answer any questions that I may have had is a great example of the kindness shown to visiting students.
An examination room at a private OB/GYN clinic.
A breathtaking view from the village. The air was so fresh and wonderful!
One of my favorite shadowing experiences during the entire trip was when Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Dabak took me on a rural rotation for a day. We drove for a short while outside of the city and eventually into a small village located in the mountains. The clinic we visited first was a government funded facility where a primary care physician and other specializing physicians worked. It was truly an amazing experience. Within the space of only a few hours, I witnessed the treatment of dozens of patients suffering from upper respiratory ailments (common during this time of the year when the weather is very wet), a young boy suspected of having tuberculosis, and an elderly woman needing her AIDS card signed in order to receive government benefits.
I will never forget when a young man who had fallen from a roof was brought into the waiting room. He was in so much pain that he was fighting to hold back tears. Dr. Dabak and the primary care physician urged him forcefully to try to stand up. Rather than send him far away for an x-ray, they were trying to ascertain whether or not he had fractured or broken a rib via other means. I was once again left with a searing reminder of how hard doctors work in India to serve the less fortunate with sometimes less than stellar resources.
During this same experience, I also observed a young woman close to my age who was having difficulty birthing her placenta after giving birth to a healthy baby boy. I traveled down the hall with the doctor to check on her, and he advised the nurse to give the process time especially as this was her first birth. Sure enough, close to thirty minutes later, the placenta was expelled naturally
A village woman washing dishes after transporting water.
after one of the gynecologists massaged the woman’s stomach.
One of the things I most enjoyed about my shadowing experiences in India was the breadth of patients and experiences that I was able to witness.
Later that afternoon, the Dabaks and I traveled back to the village to stay for the night. Walking down the road in the mountains was one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had. Away from the hustle of the city, I was exposed to a different side of India, and one that is truly beautiful. Since it was monsoon season, every sight was full of lushness and greenery. I also had the opportunity to go inside one of the villager’s huts and witness the extent to which modernity continues to escape many parts of India but that is also a reflection of another way of life. As people in rural areas sometimes have to travel for miles to reach a doctor, it is common for women to give birth at home. Unfortunately, this fact tends to contribute to the high number of maternal deaths in India; when complications arise, doctors and skilled practitioners are too far away to be quickly reached. India is thus faced with a huge problem in providing easily accessible care to rural women, and so it was touching and inspiring to witness the extent to which the Dabaks’ work contributes to the wellness of this particular area.
After my experience in India, I have a larger definition of the word “service” as a healthcare worker. I think that many times countries focus so intensely on their own internal problems
Dada and Monisha's beautiful daughter, Sanskruti.
that the advantages of cross-cultural relationships made to tackle healthcare problems are greatly diminished. In India I saw the difference that one or two people traveling into particularly needy areas of a country can make. The Dabaks demonstrated that to me. When Dr. Dabak used to serve as an administrator of a hospital he was able to ensure that rural women from the village were able to gain admittance and receive treatment for their ailments.Seeing the impact that just two people can have on a community has increased my desire to work in underserved areas. I also wish to form partnerships with doctors in other countries to trade work experiences and supplies.
Me reading over lesson material during a lesson with Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Dabak.
One of my most educational experiences in Pune occurred when I accompanied the Dabaks to a gynecological conference held at the Armed Forces Medical College. Not only did I hear several presentations on topics such as whether or not the HPV vaccine is a good idea for all women, but I also witnessed part of a surgery via a live videotape as part of a demonstration to the audience. To be amongst so many hard-working and distinguished doctors who work tirelessly to raise the standard of care in India among women, was encouraging to me as a student.
The program really allows you to gain experiences that are in line with your current abilities as a student. If you are in medical school, you will probably have opportunities to perform along with the doctor in keeping with your abilities. Nevertheless, I still found shadowing an extremely fascinating and educational experience as. Having a gynecologist explain what parts of the reproductive system I was seeing and listening to an anesthesiologist explain why she was inserting the epidural between certain disks along the spinal column, were educational opportunities new to me. One day, after a baby boy was born, I was given the opportunity to hold the oxygenation tube to his nose while waiting for the pediatrician. It is a small but great memory that I have.
Lastly, the Dabaks also take the time to hold classroom lessons to catch you up to speed on surgeries that you might witness while you are in India. The instructional background is truly a great help in discerning what you see during rotations, and especially if you are not already in medical or nursing school.
My friends Asha and Ridhi who helped to make my last week in Pune so much fun!
As an African–American, I think that my identity as a person of color is one of the reasons I was eager to travel to India, a country that is very much reflective of the fact that more than seventy five percent of the world is populated by people of color. The experience confirmed for me that people of color are disproportionately affected by poverty, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS. My time in Pune only strengthened my desire to work with vulnerable communities both here in the United States and abroad.
I also further realized the extent to which underserved communities anywhere in the world should serve as a greater source of consternation for developed countries and an impetus for deeper relationships between governments and global organizations. When women are healthy and able to deliver their babies in fully-stocked medical facilities, and when their babies are able to receive all of their vaccinations in a timely manner, we raise the chance of producing healthy children and future leaders who can lead others out of poverty.
