Internship झाल्यावर शासकीय वैद्यकीय महाविद्यालयातील विद्यार्थ्यांना धास्तावणारी सगळ्यात मोठी गोष्ट म्हणजे – बॉंड! सरकारी अनुदानित (माफक) दरात शिक्षण पूर्ण झाल्याची परतफेड म्हणून १ वर्ष ग्रामीण/ आदिवासी भागात आरोग्य सेवा देणे विद्यार्थी डॉक्टरकडून अपेक्षित (बंधनकारक) असते. कॅगच्या अहवालानुसार महाराष्ट्रातील १०% हूनही कमी डॉक्टर्स सेवा देतात किंवा दंड भरतात. पण निर्माण मधले बरेचशे डॉक्टर्स बॉंड पूर्ण करण्यासाठी ठरवून दुर्गम ग्रामीण किंवा आदिवासी भागात पोस्टिंग घेतात. या एक वर्षात सरकारी आरोग्यसेवा देणाऱ्या सगळ्यात तळाच्या यंत्रणेत निर्माणी डॉक्टरांनी काय पाहिलं, तसेच त्यांच्यात काय बदल आणि शिक्षण झाले, ऐकुया त्यांच्याच शब्दांत...
Here comes the latest article in the series ‘Bond-giri’. We all know that Prathamesh Hemnani (NIRMAN 6) served as a Medical Officer at the very remote Primary Health Center (PHC) in Pendhari of Gadchiroli district. He generously shares with us his learnings through the lens of a doctor, a medical officer and a person.
“Hi, I am Prathamesh Hemnani.
Having resigned from the post of MO after working for 10 months at PHC Pendhari, a village in Gadchiroli district. I am back in the concrete jungle I call ‘Home’ (Or just because my permanent address is of this place).
My Experience with the Govt. healthcare system:
It was a setback. I saw planned policies getting ruined by corrupt officers in the chain which runs from policy making to implementation. Sharks were present everywhere in the sea waiting to get hold on the public money. The system was so much rusted, that my seniors suggested to get involved in the chain, so that I could pay these people for getting my work done smoothly.
My experience as a Doctor:
I saw myself overcoming the fear of ‘Handling patients’ (Fear that every MBBS graduate faces before entering the real world, I guess). Later on, I realized that my syllabus and college had taught me enough of what a MBBS graduate should know. It was just the fear or uncertainty whether I could do it or not. It was not the fault in the teaching system, but the fault was with me of never overcoming my fear. I learned a great deal about how to ‘talk to patients’, ‘listen to their problems’ and ‘understand them’. The problems were not only from health point of view, but also from the perspective of their healthcare seeking patterns, their health economics, their lifestyle and their awareness on various health issues.
My experience as a Medical Officer:
Managing the already demotivated staff of the Government system was a challenge in itself. As an in-charge MO, I got the opportunity to know the financial and administrative work of a PHC, the allocation of funds, the working of national programs and schemes. I realized that if PHC is short of medicines or equipments, due to improper timings of drug distribution from higher authority, the in charge MO has the full authority to buy them through available funds. I used to stay over time, Sundays also become OPD days. As people came to know that the schoolkid looking doctor is available 24*7, PHC deliveries increased to 80 from last year’s record of 48 in the whole year. A lot of Kombdas were offered if the patients were satisfied. J
My experience as a Person:
To live away from the hustle and bustle of city and in the heart of the nature was a altogether a different experience. There was only one hotel in the village and that too cooked only rice.L That helped me to learn to cook my own food. I realized that you will never die starving only if you know how to cook. During initial 4 months, there were a lot of connectivity issues and electricity problems. I realized that staying in a well-connected area with full time electricity connection is truly a luxury! Many people still can’t afford it or rather are still away from it due to slow machinery of the Government. Calling home after searching for network for half an hour on the terrace and letting them know that I am still alive was an adventure altogether. Calling Yogesh Dada and Residents from our college in this manner for managing cases was also great fun. I made great friends at SEARCH who held me at times when I was low. I also learned to socialize and make friends of different age groups in a new place.
To sum up, I would say that
When a mother gives birth to a child without a trained health personnel and uses scissors to cut the umbilical cord and her strand of hair to tie it, you know that health programs have not reached the last citizen. When a baby gets ‘dabba’ (pneumonia) and is still taken to the traditional healer of the village, since he commands more trust than the local PHC, you know health programs have not reached the last citizen.”
When a mother gives birth to a child without a trained health personnel and uses scissors to cut the umbilical cord and her strand of hair to tie it, you know that health programs have not reached the last citizen. When a baby gets ‘dabba’ (pneumonia) and is still taken to the traditional healer of the village, since he commands more trust than the local PHC, you know health programs have not reached the last citizen.”
Prathamesh Hemnani, NIRMAN 6
No comments:
Post a Comment