Medical Health Camp Screening Volunteer Weekend: aarogyaseva.org

 

Over the weekend, I was invited to be a (photography) volunteer at a Medical Screening Health Camp facilitated by:

Dr Dayaprasad G Kulkarni

http://www.aarogyaseva.org/

This effort was made possible by many groups and individuals (Seva, Karuna Trust, EMC squared, etc.) all coming together as volunteers for the organization noted above. There were 4+ Medical Doctors (JSS Mysore Hospital affiliations, and others, 1^st picture above), Dr. Dayaprasad G Kulkarni (2nd picture), 7 medical Interns (1 month away from being MDs themselves, so basically, Medical Doctors!), 7 volunteers from the company EMC squared (a leading organization in “Cloud Computing and Big Data”), individual volunteers like me who did a bit of photography, and of course the ambulance was provided by Microsoft of Bangalore! There were also many local nurses and others whom I am sure I am not mentioning here. Mohan Krishna, MS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from JSS Mysore College of Pharmacy, (currently working towards 3^rd degree in medical policy/MBA), facilitated so many of the moving parts of the event. He was literally arranging transportation, meals, and overnight stays “on the fly” while juggling drug accountability, the entire operation and volunteer engagement all at the same time!

I can say that this was the most challenging, yet rewarding and fun “work” weekend that I have had during my 9 months in India. I will write several blogs to focus on each event and tell of the rewarding experiences (seeing hundreds of patients) the fun (safari and Yes...even a wedding!) as well as the ahhh….challenges (no electricity in an entire village, no running water, staying in hostels, etc.). For a woman used to creature comforts, I will admit that this was at times tough. However, “The Indian spirit” is phenomenal and rubs off on you. When you laugh with a group of 4 people on the way home as much as I did, you forget that you stopped drinking water 2 days ago so you would cut down on your toilet requirements.

So, let me describe the Health Camp. EMC squared technology was instrumental in preparing for the event, and had pre-printed information sheets on up to 2K patients. Their organization is phenomenal, and I encourage you to research them on-line for their capabilities. So, as we arrived (and again, more blogs on pre-arrival “happpenings”…this particular blog will truly be an informational blog about the volunteer effort exclusively), we knew of the patients and demographic data that were expected. The camp was set up in the school of a rural village. Patients would arrive, and stand in line and get their pre-printed form/ID, and then be screened by nurses for basic info…height, weight, blood pressure, waist circumference, etc. Then, they would see the doctors, and relate any problems they were experiencing. If a prescription was required, one would be written, and they would then be sent to a third room, where they would receive their meds through a “window”. It was all quite official!

I was so impressed at the speed in which these volunteers set up the camp, using 4 partitioned areas (registration, basic screening, doctor visit, and pharmacy) and how, due to their organization, there was never a backlog of patients waiting for long. The patients from these rural nearby villages were so appreciative of receiving the care, and the interactions we all had were something I will never forget. There were patients who had medical needs, psychological needs, or just a sense of curiosity of what was going on! The attention to this village and surrounding ones that was provided by the volunteer organization went such a long way, as did the medical care that most received, or referrals that they received.

There was a group of 30 children who had been practicing a dance that they performed for me, and whenever I sat down to rest and try to cool off, I had 3 children asking me to take a picture of them. Then they would immediately want to see the picture on the camera. When you consider they have probably never watched TV, or maybe never even seen a picture of themselves, it really makes you stop and think how excited they truly are. I have plans to print about 30 shots to send to an individual of the families and children that I shot, so they will have some photographs. What stands out the most about the children in this particular village, other than how sweet they were, was the fact that they were so much older than they appeared to be, from physical appearance. I would ask them their age, and expect them to say “8” and some would say “13”. The nutrition factor, including calcium deficiencies are just so severe.

I have so much more to write about the events of this weekend. 

There will be blogs posted soon, that will include topics such as:

The Ambulance
The Safari ride in the Ambulance

The HOSTELS/no electricity/no running water

Tips on how not to burn down the hostel when you only have tall TAPERED CANDLES with no holders

Best way to find a toilet in a rural village with no toilets

Crashing an Indian wedding (I gave them a gift so not a true “crash”?) and the Adrenaline factor

Eating rice without a utensil for me equals rice from head to toe

Taking a walk into the village and the scenery…the people.

What happens when you get a flat tire in a rural village?

And most importantly…….

The Doctors and Their Dedication

So, PLEASE STAY TUNED…..More stories, and many more awesome pictures/snapshots to come!

Pictures of Volunteers (most) below: