This summer, I was fortunate enough
to work at Vivekananda Memorial Hospital in Sargur, India. Unlike other
hospitals I have worked at, VMH had a very active Community Health Department
that worked with local people to implement initiatives to improve their health.
Among their many projects, I worked with Dr. Manohar to create case studies of
children with cerebral palsy who were beneficiaries of the hospital’s Chaitanya
Vahini program. Not only was I able to research and learn more about cerebral
palsy, but I sat in during physical therapy sessions at the hospital,
interviewed patients and parents, and went along for home visits along the
rural countryside. I also created questionnaires and research proposals for the
maternal and child health initiative and Mobile Health Units.
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| General ward at Sargur hospital. |
Being placed in Sargur
was the best of both worlds. We had a small town to go fruit shopping at during
our down time, and living inside a hospital allowed us to make friendships with
the physicians, medical residents, and staff. The hospitality was amazing. We were invited to dinner at one of the physician's homes
where we watched her cook dinner and ate homemade dosas. Since VMH also targets
rural, tribal populations, I was also able to visit these communities through the
Mobile Health Units that deliver care and medicine daily to these tribal
villages. During my free time, I was also able to shadow the delivery room and
the operation room. It was incredible to see how much the hospital could do
with the resources that they had.
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| Mobile Health Clinic Van from Sargur Hospital. |
Overall, India was an
incredible experience. I learned so much about myself these two months. Not
only was I able to learn so much about the culture through trips and my new
friends, but I also feel like I genuinely contributed to the needs of the
hospital. The Global Health program at Cornell has truly allowed me to open my
eyes to the needs of global communities and learn how to learn from and work
with them in an effective, culturally appropriate way. I can’t wait to visit
again!
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| Stacy dressed in scrubs to observe surgery in Sargur Hospital. |
