7/15 - Jiviraj Children's Hospital (Day 1)

Finally back to the guest house and the daily medical rotations. Next up on the list is Jiviraj Children's Hospital, a private pediatric clinic run by Dr. Dushyant Kothari.

This was the first and only late-night shift taken over the course of the trip. Unfortunately, I was alone. You see, although my stomach is made of the highest grade industrial steel, Kim and Daschel were not yet totally acclimated after a week's worth of Indian cuisine. Thus, I had to go this one alone.

Jiviraj Children's Hospital.

Some initial observations on the clinic:

1. The clinic, minus the lobby and waiting room is split into 3 separate patient rooms. This includes the doctor's office.
2. In the short time I was there (around 3 hours), I must have seen around 100 children. Dr. Kothari usually spent no more than 2 minutes on each one. Nurses bustled back and forth between the narrow entrances to prep each child before they were seen.
3. There was a lot of crying.
4. There were also a lot of adorable children in adorable outfits. 

Because the previous clinics dealt with OB-GYN cases, I now find it most appropriate to discuss what I learn in each pediatric clinic. First up: Vaccinations, as I saw Dr. Kothari give A LOT of them.

As in the United States, newborn children are prescribed a series of vaccinations for their active acquired immunity. Here are just a few:

At Birth:

BCG - To prevent tuberculosis. 

OPV0 - To prevent polio. In India, most polio vaccinations are in the form of oral drops. They are cheaper in comparison to needles. 

Hepatitis B - To prevent liver infection caused by HBV. One prominent risk in newborn children living in India comes from failure in the liver, which then escalates into jaundice. 

6 Weeks:

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine - To prevent pneumonia. 

Rotavirus - To prevent severe diarrhea in newborns and young children. The rotavirus is the most common cause of this. 

6 Months: 

Flu Vaccine - To prevent flu. The 2nd dose is given after 7 months. 

Others:

Measles/MMR + Vitamin A - Given after 9 months. 

Typhoid (TCV) - Given after 10 months. 

Anyhow, it was an interesting experience. We will be returning tomorrow, so there will be much more to learn!