Be the change you want to see in the world

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So enough about our travel to India and time to get into the reason why we are all here- service to and with others. I mentioned some brief information about the Desai Eye Hospital but I will share a little more of our experience while there. On the first day that we all were able to go we got another tour and a pediatrician took us in while seeing some of his patients post surgery. He explained to us what the aliment was, then what he did surgically to fix it, and let us see the vast improvement. It was a great learning experience for us all, and we really were able to apply the knowledge we learned in our neuro class to real life people and patients. The next day the director for the hospital took us to one of their outreach programs- it is an eye clinic they hold in the more rural areas, check the patients, determine if any surgery or other care is needed, then bring them to the city to receive the free eye care. Once again this was an experience that is hard to put into words- but amazing to say the least.

The next three days were our health clinic days. Basically we would travel to various spots around the city with doctors or residents and perform full physicals on mostly children, but also a few adults. After we did the physical we presented the patient to the doctor who them determined the course of treatment or referral necessary to best suite the individual patient. I don’t have the hard numbers, but over the course of three days we saw over 200 children and another 50+ adults. We witnessed a lot of vitamin deficiencies and malnourishment, as well as a few heart murmurs, and cases of the chicken pox. Not only did we as medical students get to practice our physical exam skills and patient interaction, but we also truly made a difference in these children’s lives. It is safe to say that each one of us and a unique, but equally moving experience over the three days of health camps. As Gandhi said “A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people” and seeing those children welcome us they way they did really showed us more about India than any guide book could ever do.

The day after our last clinic a few of us got sick, but powered through and all were almost at 100% by the next day, when we were leaving for a day and night in the city of Mumbai! I apologize for grammar/spelling mistakes but I am in a small “closet” on the streets of Kolkata and it has to be 110 degrees in here so no proof reading! More to come…

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