Action! -Medication

Yesterday we took a taxi, and went for Bara Bazaar, a huge whole sale market from where our Super Kutushhad found a medical seller from whom we can get big discounts. Our medical worker Celine from sistercharity Gimme Shelter was like a child in a candy shop, picking all the necessary items for the rounds next day in the slum. The price was around third or fourth of the price we would have paid in the pharmacy we used before, and even them were giving us discounts.

Medical issues are one of the major problems we face when working in the slum. Low-hygiene and malnutrition causes many symptoms in all chidlren as well as in adults. Everytime I enter the slum i hear so many stories about what is going with the father of 5, the new born baby, the pregnant girl or the grandmother of neighbour. Celine comes with us once a week to try and heal all these. We have had also other volunteers coming in the past with us sometimes, which has been amazing. Plenty of meds and a lot of dressings are being delivered every time they come.
In many cases though, being clean and eating enough proper food would be the answer.

We are of course also facing more serious diceases. Malaria, tuberculosis and even HIV. For all this we have co-operation with some local clinics and hospitals. Actually many diseases can be treated for free, if you know where to go. Sometimes we can see, how the people have already got used to us coming there and getting lazy in going to elsewhere when they would need more acute cures. That is why spreading knowledge among the slum is one of the main jobs we are doing. We cannot make them dependent on our work, as there will always be times we cannot be there. Hoping to have in the future a powerful and working local team to fill in while all of us are gone.

Tomorrow is dedicated for our special cases Arman, Ishmael and Sarfaroz. Ishmael is going to be taken to Mercy Hospital, a big local place where he will be checked with his injured leg our dear nurse Celine healed. Healing is though still in process and we will go and see how far we are. Sarfaroz is getting blood transfusions at the same place on monthly basis and we need to do check on how it is working, and how much balance we have left.

Arman was a very special case. He is a brave 2 year old boy who fell in fire and got burned badly. He was treated for long time in the hospital and survived. He has gone through several operations and is fine now. He needs few more operations more to reconstruct his hands. Some money needs to be raised in order to do this, as operations like these can get costly even here in India.

Sometimes I do feel medication should have been the area what to study, back when i was young and energetic. With that kind of knowledge so much can be done here. But I am so happy we have met with Celine who can do, what us others cannot. And big thanks to all the donors without whom none of the medicines could not have been bought!