While it make have taken us longer than expected to finally get here, Angela, Dr. Parrish, Chance, and I, all made it to Mumbai around midnight last night, and arrived at our hotel just past 2:00am. Whatever feelings of jet-lag I may have had when de-boarding the plane were immediately eliminated the second we stepped outside the airport to meet Netra. The reality of finally being in India began to set in as we made our way through a large crowd of people. Driving away from the airport towards our hotel I was overwhelmed with stimuli. There were no lines dividing lanes of traffic, drivers honked at one another more frequently than a New York City cab driver, and trash is so abundant in the street that the first time I noticed it, I had to look twice to be certain I wasn't imagining things. Pulling up to the hotel I remember thinking to myself that the first time I learned about India from a public health perspective was just 3 and a half years ago in Professor Skolnik's undergraduate global health course. The time has finally arrived for me to experience public health for all of its successes and failures first hand, and I could not be more eager to learn.
I'm embarrassed to admit how grumpy I was this morning having only 3 hours of sleep. I'm even more embarrassed to admit that on behalf of our entire class we were all feeling a bit grumpy that the first bus to pick us had such poor ventilation that the windows steamed up, and we had another bus sent- one with air conditioning. Everyone gets grumpy when they don't feel rested, and we all complain about heat and humidity, especially living in DC. So why am I embarrassed to admit those feelings? Because it all seems so trivial after witnessing the level of poverty and discomfort some people in India endure every day.
Our first stop this morning was to the AmeriCares office to meet Dr. Purbish Parikh, the Vice President and Managing Director of AmeriCares India. All of the staff that met us at the office were incredibly friendly, and gave us a warm welcome. Dr. Parikh did not hesitate even for a minute to let our group of 19 pile in to his office and crowd around his laptop to watch his presentation on AmeriCares India. AmeriCares India provides medical supplies and health care services to varying regions around India in addition to providing disaster relief services. One of the vans was heading out to begin work for the day and was willing to let us follow them to observe how operations are conducted to deliver these services. Just one physician and three volunteers from AmeriCares accompanied the van.
As we drove through the slums in Bhagonwali–Ghovandi, I felt like I was witnessing Public Health and Water 101. Sewage, debris, and garbage contaminate every water source imaginable. It is not surprising that sanitation systems in this region are inadequate and water borne diseases are widespread. Sacred cows and roaming dogs are just as likely to be stumbled upon as masses of feces. It doesn’t seem possible that the makeshift roofs covering each home could ever withstand the monsoon rains. Despite these observations, we were immediately greeted with the welcoming smiles of children playing in the street when the AmeriCares van reached its destination to begin delivering services.
The location where AmeriCares set up shop for the day appeared much like a half bay garage. Two chairs for two of the volunteers, two short bar stools- one for the computer, one for the blood pressure machine, and a chair for the patient- these were the only items to fill the space. The physician remained in the van, and after each person had their weight, blood pressure, picture taken, and information entered into the laptop, they were permitted to see the physician in the van. Most patients left with medications, and none stayed in the van longer than 5 minutes. Those waiting in line were patient, polite, and predominantly women and children. Organizationally the operation could have been run more efficiently, but it is tough to say whether or not things were running as smooth as usually with so many distractions (us) being there. The doctor did see what I thought to be a good amount of people while were there. While not observing the volunteers, most of us in the group remained in the street to speak to whoever was willing to talk to us. We intrigued many of the children and it was exciting to see so many of them knew English. There were also a lot of people passing by wanting to know what the van was for. This came as a surprise to me because I assumed everyone knew why the van was there. It did seem to make sense that so few people knew what the van was doing, or were willing to seek services because the line to be seen was not too significant in comparison to the size of the population in the area. We did not have time to go back to the AmeriCare’s office, but I would have like to ask them what efforts they have made to improve outreach to ensure the greatest number of people are aware of the organizations efforts.
Accompanying the AmeriCares team to the slums today was important in solidifying just how strong of an impact an organization is capable of having. It was encouraging to see so many people willing to speak with us, and to see how grateful they were for the resources being offered. The community members were not only welcoming, but patient in waiting for their chance to be seen by the team. It was also encouraging to see an established physician along with three volunteers to be so willing to spend their time in the community. Our class thus far has taught us how NGO’s are established and how social entrepreneur’s begin their quest, but this knowledge has come from textbook, readings, and guest lecturers. Actually witnessing the impact such organizations have on the people they seek to help has contributed an important piece in learning the impact a well thought out organization can have on a great number of people.
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