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Inspiration from India

Physicians for Peace work in Nagpur, India was featured in the region's English language newspaper.

One of the most important things we do at Physicians for Peace, through the talent and devotion of our volunteers, is address problems related to women’s and children’s health in developing countries. Often, sharing knowledge of simple post-natal care techniques can result in saving the lives of countless infants. Karen Horton, a senior nurse educator from Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, is currently on a Physicians for Peace mission to Nagpur, India where she and the Physicians for Peace team are training hundreds of pediatric nurses in these valuable techniques. She files this report about her inspiring experience:

After almost a day and a half of travel (including a 16 hour long direct flight between New York-Bombay) the Physicians for Peace team (consisting of Dr. Ed Kratokin, Dr. Sheetal Ajmani, and me) arrived at the Bombay International Airport on the evening of Oct 31st.  We left Norfolk around noon on Thursday so, by this point, we had been traveling for almost a day and a half, and all we could think of was a hot shower and bed!  Unlike Drs. Karatokin and Ajmani, who have been to India more than once, this was my very first trip to the country. I was anxious for my Indian adventure to begin and equally nervous about all our checked in bags (that included our training material and supplies) arriving in time and in one piece.
The scene at the airport, which is the busiest airport in South Asia and serves over 20 million passengers annually, could only be described as one of “organized chaos.” The minute you land, you are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people around you and yet somehow, at least as was the case with our flight, even with all the crowds and chaos, the process to get through the customs and baggage claim is rather painless (and yes, all our bags arrived safe and sound !:-). About 5 hours in a hotel room near the airport and we were back at the airport (this time it was the Mumbai domestic airport) to catch a 6AM flight to go to Nagpur, so we didn’t have any time to explore Mumbai, something we hope to do before we return to the U.S.
In my little experience, I find India to be a land of contrast, chaos, and wonderful impressions that are impossible to describe without resorting to clichés. Here in the world’s largest democracy that is home to almost 1/6th of total population, the enormous weight of history and the unparalleled drive toward development and modernity, the pervasive display of the wealth of the very rich and the stark picture of the extremely poor not only coexist but seem to flourish.  Where cows and goats and people share the same overcrowded roads along with every form of mechanized and non-mechanized mode of transportation…It’s a sight and experience unlike any I have ever had before….
After a little rest on Saturday, we started on busy and productive training days on Sunday and Monday. Our focus during these two days was to conduct neonatal/pediatric support and nursing training for health professionals in Nagpur.  On Sunday, we conducted a day long training session for over 150 pediatric nurses at the Central India’s Child Hospital and Research Institute in Nagpur. This was an overwhelming response since we were expecting less than a hundred participants to show up for this session and ended up with double the number of very keen nurses hungry to learn and had to scramble to accommodate them all since many of these nurses had travelled a good distance, and at a considerable expense of their time and money, to take part in the training… I started the training day with a lecture on infection control and basic hygiene (something that’s still a big issue health facilities in developing countries, including in India)…We also conducted S.T.A.B.L.E. (which stands for Sugar, Temperature, Airway, Blood pressure, Lab work, and Emotional support) training session. S.T.A.B.L.E. is a neonatal education program focusing exclusively on the post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick infants and has been proven to reduce infant mortality and morbidity and to improve the future health of children and their families. It is of particular need in India where the child mortality rate is still one of the highest among the developing countries. We continued working on the following two days with lectures and training sessions for nurses, doctors, and other health professionals in the area of NG tube placement, IV therapy techniques, thermal regulation, developmental care, and much more… Jumping right into teaching big groups of very eager health professionals, while also getting adjusted to summer-like heat, coupled with jet-lag and travel fatigue, has definitely been a new, and in some ways a hard, experience for me …However, the hunger for learning and attentiveness of those being trained, and being in the company of some of the most generous and hospitable people I have ever encountered, makes this more than a worthwhile experience, and one that I am ready to do all over again the next day with a new group of health professionals. Before I do that, I must catch some sleep since it is well past midnight here, and we have to get on the road pretty early tomorrow to travel to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Swangi (a town two hours drive from the city of Nagpur where we have been working for the last three days) to conduct the second phase of the training. Stay tuned for more…

Help for Haiti

It is widely agreed at Physicians for Peace that our unsung hero is Ken Hudson, the man who single-handedly manages our Gifts in Kind program. Over the past weeks, he has been particularly busy putting together containers of medical supplies for several countries, among them Haiti.

The container to Haiti will contain life-saving medicines as well as valuable equipment for doctors and clinics in this impoverished part of the world. Dr. Norman Krell, a Virginia ophthalmologist, donated all the equipment from his practice upon his retirement. New Eyes for the Needy donated 37,000 pairs of eyeglasses and frames. Mylan Pharmaceuticals donated a variety of important medicines. The Church of the Holy Family in Virginia Beach, Virginia, also gave several pieces of important equipment for use in a clinic run by Partners in Health.

We are grateful to all of these donors, who share with us the committment to improving health care resources in the developing world. We are also grateful to Ken for his expertise and dedication in pulling it all together and making it happen. But he can’t do it without your help. Your donations give him the resources he needs to make sure these urgently needed supplies get delivered to the doctors and patients who are waiting for them. Consider making a contribution to Physicians for Peace today to support this effort. Donate now.

Watch the video below to learn more about Ken and our Gifts in Kind program -

 

Making the Difference: Notes from Eritrea

As part of our dedication to medical training and education, Physicians for Peace is part of The Partnership for Eritrea, a joint initiative with The George Washington University Medical Center and the Eritrean Ministry of Health, that established the first post-graduate residency program at Orotta Hospital in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. The program sponsors both visiting and full-time faculty in surgery and pediatrics and started training its first students in January 2008.

As usual, the dedication of our volunteers has made the difference and is helping every day to fulfill the Physicians for Peace vision of “building peace and international friendships through medicine” with the people of Eritrea.

We are pleased to share some of their letters and photos:

To All of you my Dearest Friends,

…My life has been so filled with beautiful memories every time I come back from all these wonderful missions, and thanks to all of you, my dearest friends, you  ALL have a special place in my heart. Thank you for all that you do to make every effort to make someone and everyone that we touch feel SO SPECIAL  in your own way!!! It is such a blessing to know each and everyone of you …. you make me smile whenever I reminisce about the times we spent with the patients and the bond we made with all the families -  it’s beautiful , no matter what the outcome was -they know we were there for them … I am honored to have worked with all of you…Thank you for being a part of my life , my passion and the love for the profession that we chose…You are all extraordinarily amazing !  Till then …  I love you all !!!

 Evan

 

Dear friends,

As usual, Evan has said it all and said it so eloquently. Let me just add my thanks and admiration for all that you have individually and collectively done to help the people of Eritrea. You represented the spirit of Physicians for Peace and the good side of what America and Americans stand for. On behalf of the so many patients and their families, I want to say thank you for caring and for your excellent professional work. Love and good wishes to all of you.

 Haile

 

Dear Friends!

As Haile said, Evan has said it all so eloquently. My life long dream has been to put my nursing skills to good use in a foreign land where our skin may be a slightly different color, but our blood is all the same. This year’s mission has left me profoundly moved by the warm and sincere gratitude of the people of Eritrea and the dedication of our team members. Each year I feel more and more a part of the people and Eritrea and look forward to going back another year. As “LA”, that is Louise Lower Arkansas said, the efforts put forth by our team is a WE, as in all of us working together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for including me and the experience has brought such riches to my life. Unless you’ve been there, could never understand. My love to all and Dr. Haile please keep us update on the condition of our patients. They are in my prayers. Keep that front seat empty as I will return. 

Nancy