The gentle sound of a mosque call for prayer and the distant scent of campfire woke me from my sleep this morning before the sun rose. ah, I'm in India! It was my first day to go out into the villages to take a look at the healthcare system since I arrived (the past 2 days have been more or less getting accustom to going the the bathroom in a hole and having all dairy products at room temperature). After an hour long jeep ride into the country side (stopping every mile or so for wandering cows, goats, and a few monkeys), we made it to the remote village of kochla (which I tried to google last night unsuccessfully).
It was interesting to read Jessica Sheng's blog about her experience with the villages and the local doctor I was shadowing, because or experiences (and thoughts) were very similar. Like Jessica, I was amazed by the ability of this woman to diagnose only on physical exam. She could look at a patient and tell me that she had riboflavin deficiency or anemia and felt confident enough to give supplementation without any additional tests. Apparently B2 deficiency is quite common out here. She also explained to me how she performs many antenatal check ups without any if the fancy equipment that we use in the states. We're all just spoiled.
While I was impressed with many of her physical exam abilities, I also was a little apprehensive about some of her claims. Apparently she believes that constipation is the root of all ailments (including miscarriages and diabetes) and she doesn't seem to have any respect for the fact that although OB/Gyns are specialized, they still understand that systemic diseases exist and know to look out for them.
I didn't realize that I was supposed to bring my own lunch (which I'm not sure where I'm supposed to get said lunch), so thankfully the doc was ok with sharing hers. I'm beginning to realize that maybe I'm not a HUGE fan of REAL Indian food.... well, at least not anything with dairy.
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