As far as nursing goes this hasn't turned out to be what I expected. I am able to do very little hands-on so spend most of my time observing which can be very frustrating. This is partly because of my inability to speak Tamil but predominantly because my role as a nurse in England simply does not exist here. A dressing here consists of covering or packing a wound with gauze which inevitably sticks and causes further trauma when removed. Dressings, catheterisations, removal of sutures etc are all done by the Drs. Injections are one thing I can do but for me there is an ethical dilemma attached to them. Literally every person, regardless of what is wrong with them gets at least two injections. Tablets are pretty much redundant. I tried to raise the subject with the Dr but he quickly gets defensive. His argument is that people are not educated enough to realise that they need to complete a course of oral treatment and therefore it is best to give a one off injection. He also says that people want a quick fix and that if he refuses to give them an injection they will just go elsewhere. My point of view is that as an educated Dr he has a responsibility to try and change atitudes and re-educate the many people he sees on a daily basis. If the patients then go elsewhere so be it. Injections should not be given on demand. Needless to say that he gets paid for every injection given. Even antibiotics and paracetamol are given by intra-muscular injection - it's unheard of back home. Needles are thankfully changed between patients but are used several times on the same person. Syringes are re-used for giving a specific drug and sit uncovered, in the heat with flies walking all over them. The gloves, which are used for internal examinations, are dropped in an orange bucket of bleach, given a stir and then pegged out to be used again. So as you can see I have a big dilemma over whether I should participate in potentially harmful practices. The language barrier means that I cannot begin to explain why I have a problem with what they are doing and even if I could communicate I don't think it would really sink in.
The two Drs I am assigned to are old school in the sense that they see the nurses as little slaves. The female Dr in particular seems to be incapable of doing anything for herself. As soon as she coughs (not covering her mouth, and normally in my face!) a nurse scurries to pass her a glass of water which is easily within her reach. The nurse checks the patients' BP before they see the Dr but she immediately checks it again because obviously nurses are too thick to do it accurately. It drives me demented and there are days when I would happily strangle her with her stethoscope!
Still it's not all bad. On Tuesday I went to a medical camp and actually did something productive! I was taking blood tests to check for HIV. One woman was terribly unwell. Her skin was taut over her skeleton and she could barely keep herself upright. She collapsed so I scooped her up off the floor and carried her like a baby over to a bed. She was as light as a feather. Thirty-three years old and probably only a few days left of her life. Her test came back negative but her family hadn't taken her to the hospital before now and medical attention had clearly arrived too late.
2 comments:
hi hun, hope u dont mind passed blog spot onto karen as her experiences are quite different - men put women first there - you made her laugh too with your stories. take care loads of love from us x x x
Hi Pip, It's good to hear that you have been able to feel more involved in actually helping some of the needy people you have been seeing. I can understand your frustrations at seeing the medical care provided as to us in the west it appears to be inethical practices, however I guess they're greatful to be receiving any help they can afford to get, however near to death they leave it before they seek help.
Me and George just got back from our China trip yesterday, so amongst sorting out the piles of clothes washing after a long nights sleep trying to get over the jet lag, we are now trying to catch up with friends and family. It's great to hear your adventures and especially seeing your lovely photos to see its not all hardship and suffering (from all that spicy food!) you are having lots of fun too.
When on our tour of China we heard that people go bankrupt if they are poor and become ill due to the lack of a publicy funded health system. I don't know if it's the same in India but in China I'm very surprised anyone survives to be healthy with the lack of sanitaion, poor food and water quality and general hygiene.
I had only been in Beijing a few days, where it is freezing cold everywhere, espically in Tian namen square, and eating in dodgy restaurants that I start to think that travelling to these far flung places of the world are not only crazy but unhealthy ideas.
Especially from a UK nurse's perspective it is so far away from the ideals we aim for at home, where we are always being harassed to wash our hands in our sterile hospitals, it is hard to understand how people live in such poverty without the basic necessities we take for granted here.
After falling asleep on the Great Wall of China, due to the exhaustion of trying to keep up with the speed of our tour and altitude sickness, on top of a bad episode of food poisening and dehydration, I thought it was time to get a more intimate experience and different perspective of life in China by checking out the health care first hand. Me and some others off the tour went in search of an English speaking Doctor.
After only half communicating with a local pharmacist we established the only way we could get some antisickness and antibiotics was to visit the American run hospital the other side of Beijing. We decided to miss the last morning tour in beijing to get ourselves in good order before flying to Xian, to continue the tour. After fighting our way through the traffic and the mountains of forms at reception they were welcoming us straight into the emergency doctors room once we had paid the deposit for consultation on our credit cards.
The American doctor soon decided we had severe dehydration from our fever due to gastroenteritis and put me and my new tour friends on an IV drip of 2L of normal saline,IV Antibiotics (levofloxacin) with a bolus anti-emitic. 2 hours later I had woken up from my drunken like state and was on a plane to Xian (to see the Terrocotta army)to continue the rest of our weeks adventures on the mad 'taste of China' tour.
Please check out the blog for more details once I get round to updating it with more photos and stories. But I want to hear more about your life in India and more interestingly what you eat (as a veggie, over there) and what the washing and toilet facilities are like.
Lots of love, take Care and hope to hear from you soon, Liz and George xxx
Post a Comment