Rural Public Health

Rural Hospital in Pawana, Maharastra.  This was my first experience with government-funded rural health care.  It had much less to offer than the missionary hospital I stayed at up north.  There was supposed to be 7 doctors, but there is only 3 and only one works per day.  They each have a 24 hour shift.  In the morning from 10-1pm they see patients and the evening is for emergencies only.  They live in Pune and commute for their shift.

The outside of the rural hospital

The hospital waiting room

Lab of the rural hospital.  They have few labs they can run.  The lab tech showed me a slide of a malaria parasite.  She also can run tests for syphilis, HIV, typhoid, hematocrit, and maybe something else.  They used to be able to run a test for dengue, but there was an outbreak last year and she ran out of tests.

  The lab tech received a bachelors in microbiology and then a 2 year certificate.  She doesn't wear gloves while obtaining a blood sample, but does for the lab tests:  I'm fairly certain this is so she doesn't get the dyes on her hands.

Where I stayed near Pawana.  It is owned by the medical director of the program.  His family used to own all of the land around the house, but when Independence came a bill was enacted that allowed people working the land to take ownership.  The doctor said this was to empower the farmers, but with each generation the land gets split up between siblings and so they are all left with a small parcel. 

A small temple in the fields.  The doctor told me a story of a place where most of the villagers would go to do their business.  He tried building them toilets, but most didn't bother using them.  Finally he decided to build a temple near the location and it when then that the villagers stopped using the area as their bathroom.

Cowherd.  He wanted me a to take a picture of him and his bull, so I did.

Water buffalo doing what water buffalo do best.

Another dude who wanted his picture taken.  I also have a picture of me and him (and so does he).

Woman who cooked our meals and her family.  This was taken in her house.  The house was mud (similar to adobe) with a mud floor.  I sat and watched her and another woman cook food for the family.  They made chutney with a metate and ground garlic, spices and herbs for at least 15 minutes.  They cooked using both gas and a wood-fired stove that was made of mud and built into the floor of the kitchen.  It didn't smoke at all.  They used wood and cow patties to cook with.  It was pretty amazing.

At a "boat club."  I think the message was a little lost in translation.  At least I hope so.

View from the rice paddies.  I spent a lot of time hiking around them in my sandals, even though the doctor thought I was nuts because I might get bitten by a snake (everyone else went around in sandals too).