This study abroad trip has completely changed my life. When you've lived all your life without traveling outside of the US, you tend to not understand global issues as well as you may have thought you did. The second I stepped foot in India, the world I knew was no longer. As we rode into Mysore on a private small bus without AC, I looked out the window to observe the city's poor infrastructure with an overflow of trash buildup all over the streets. This was the first huge environmental issue I saw right off the bat. Pollution like this can cause a variety of both short and long-term medical health issues including congenital abnormalities, asthma, respiratory infections/chronic diseases, and even cancer, to just name a few.

 

 Working every day with PHRII, we quickly learned that oftentimes women do not seek out medical attention, especially if it is in regard to any vaginal concerns. This is considered to be taboo and women can often be accused of being unfaithful to their husbands if they seek out help from a health clinic. In more suburban areas, women and children are uneducated when it comes to important preventative medical procedures and frequently go untreated if they do have any form of illness. Casualty rates are high as those in more tribal areas do not have proper access to healthcare facilities. On our 8-hour train ride to Dandeli, we experienced this first hand. Many children did not have proper footwear, making them more susceptible to harm. I quickly realized that the lack of small luxuries we take for granted in the US is the primary reason for illness in other countries.

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Furthermore, people of Indian culture are very well involved with their religion. They spend a considerable amount of time on a daily basis in prayer and worship. Their beautiful temples are scarred and the first place they go to offer a sacrifice in return for a medical miracle. As a student, I became fully aware of the importance of religion and belief systems when it comes to treating patients. You have to be able to understand their culture and environment in order to understand their concerns as a patient. Education on preventative measures is the most important form of medicine for countries like this.

 

Ayurvedic medicine is prominent in India. On our trip, we had the opportunity to engage with both a tribal ayurvedic medical practitioner in the forest of Dandeli and practitioners from a bigger medical facility in the city of Mysore. The use of medicinal plants is a very unique and impressive primary method of care. However, it is a much longer treatment and recovery process than we may observe in today's methods of industrial healthcare. In the event of a medical emergency, inhabitants are hours away from any hospital or clinic and often perish before reaching proper urgent care. At times, the attempt to even reach a hospital is not seen. During our time in Dandeli, we met with a mobile health unit, that focused on traveling to nearby villages to help provide essential health care checkups to villagers. However, they expressed to us what a challenge it is to find doctors, especially from the US that are willing to help as no payment is provided. This is strictly volunteer work. Receiving medical supply donations is another challenge they face. Proper treatment for more critical patients is impossible. As a medical student, this raised incredible concern. The images we were shown of cases they see were absolutely horrendous. It became painfully apparent that many people needed medical help that they could not get. Additionally, every environment and city experiences different diseases with alternative treatment procedures.

 

Thus, at the end of the day, I was presented with a variety of issues in India that were receiving little to no form of aid. This trip provided me with the push I needed to start exploring the world and adding cultural and travel skills to my belt. After graduation, I will be spending a year traveling and studying abroad to continue expanding my knowledge on real-world global issues. As a physician, I plan to do a variety of missionary work in underprivileged areas and as an aspiring surgeon, I plan to offer surgical services needed. Awareness must be raised for such underdeveloped areas, globally. I will be sure to talk about these worldwide issues as much as possible and find medical professionals to volunteer their time on mission trips. Establishing a partnership with a medical supplier will be a top priority of mine. I will be the change I want to see in the world, one patient and one area at a time.

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