Friday, June 27

This morning Doctor Sangamitra came in for the biweekly clinic hours held in the ASHA center. She is a charismatic woman around forty who recently left her job in a large hospital to work in the slums. Patients began arriving at 11am. I helped Sushila, one of the Asha women, to take their blood pressure and weight. The blood pressure was easy to take with the help of an electronic device which produced the reading. We then carefully filled out that information into their health card, which every person has thanks to Asha, and they wait in line for the doctor.
The doctor uses the room which we usually teach in. It has a cot, a desk, a sink, and a table with supplies on it. It is remarkable how efficiently the doctor is able to use the limited space and material. She has a box of single use syringes, a box of plastic gloves, and two small coolers, similar to what you might pack your lunch in, filled with medicines taken from the fridge in the next room. Sushila brings in the filled out cards and stacks them on the desk for the doctor. Each patient comes in one at a time and consults with Dr. Sangamitra.
Almost all of the patients are pregnant women. Each woman entered decked out in a gorgeous sari and in various stages of pregnancy. They ranged in age from about 19 to 35. Some already had 4 children while others were experiencing it for the first time. The doctor informed me of some of the procedures she was doing. She performed an ultrasound and I was able to hear the baby's heart beating! The doctor explained that the heart rate was at 130 instead of 140 because it was hungry since the mother had not eaten breakfast. That was a pretty amazing moment.
One woman came in wearing a full head covering revealing only her eyes. She glanced at me sitting in the corner before lifting it to show her face. She and the doctor exchanged some words, as another woman entered the room. The doctor looked exasperated and raised her voice. She looked from the patient to the woman who had just entered, considerably older and with a sour expression. I subtley asked Anurag what they were discussing and he explained that the patient had been told to go to the hospital after their last visit but hadn't gone. Apparently the womans mother in law hadnt let her go to the hospital. Dr. Mitra explained afterwards that the woman had gone to a "quack" doctor for headache medication. The meds she was put on had caused her baby's heart rate to shoot up to a near fatal level. She was fortunate that the baby was alright now that she stopped taking the medication. Dr. Mitra commented on how frustrating it can be working in these conditions. '
Culture, religion and class constantly come in the way of direct medical treatment. One woman who came in with her baby had wanted to get a histerectomy because she already had five children. However her religion, Islam, did not allow it, so she has now given birth again. I have been interested to see how pain is dealt with in a different class and culture. One woman pulled back her sleeve to reveal a 2 inch burn on her forearm. It was now yellowed with pus and most likely infected. I was amazed that she had even been able to wear clothing over it. She had not dressed it or treated it. I considered Kerrys recent fall. She had a one inch cut and we immediately raced off to the hospital and she saw probably 3 doctors. Here in this slum, this woman patiently waited until Friday when she could see the doctor. I realized how fortunate I am to be able to see a doctor as soon as an accident like that burn from hot oil occurred. It also dawned on me that if I weren't able to, how would I be able to go about my day not having treated a wound like that? This woman must have been incredibly strong physically and mentally to be able to withstand that cut and not having treatment. Thanks to Ashas presence in the slum however, she was given the appropriate medical care she needed, and the doctor admonished her for waiting instead of going to a hospital.
In classes that day I just brought in some cards and taught the older girls how to play Bingo and Go Fish. They had never played either game and it was enjoyable to bond with them on an even plane. We all had fun playing and it was a simple way to connect with them without much language.
That evening we went to a nice Italian dinner in Pria Market. Then Nick, Madeleine and I went to a hookah bar and danced until midnight to caribbean and techno music.