7/29 - Rural Rotation (Day 2)

Another early start for a morning stroll. With a little help from Dada and the car, Dr. Dabak led us on some scenic routes that he frequented during his rural stays. Pictures below!

A nearby dam that supplies rainwater to the village.

Group photo with Mrs. & Dr. Dabak. I have a great smile in this picture.

Now, about the rural clinic itself. Being the closest hospital for miles, Dr. Gange is solely responsible for the 30,000 patients that hail from the surrounding villages.

Some observations on the rural clinic:

• As a governmental hospital, cases observed ranged from snake bites to fevers. Patients also ranged from the extremely young to pregnant and elderly.
• For more serious cases or those who required specialists, ambulances would be made available to transport patients to the city.
• The clinic also provides services for educational students. The day prior, we got to witness a nurse give blood tests to an incoming classroom. 

In regards to the blood type testing performed on the students, the method is quite interesting: First, a small sample of blood was obtained from each student via finger prick. The sample is then subjected to a serum containing a certain antibody. How does this determine blood type? Well, the ABO blood type possessed by humans is determined by the presence (or lack thereof) of certain combinations of 2 antigen types (A and B) and 2 antibodies (A and B) in the blood. If subjected to a serum containing an antibody matching that of the possessed antigen, the blood will agglutinate. For example, if a subject's blood agglutinates due to mixing with a serum possessing anti-A antibodies, that person must have Type A blood.

The majority of the time was spent observing Dr. Gange prescribe treatments for the numerous individuals that came and went from his office. During one of our breaks, Kim and Daschel taught me how to take a patient's blood pressure. Hopefully that is not a skill I forget!

Learning how to take blood pressure.

Photo with Dr. Gange and various other employees.

After our shift we were picked up by Dada and we headed directly back to the city. Overall, the 2 days spent in rural Pune were eye-opening and I wish we could have stayed for just a bit longer.

When we returned home, Dada's wife showed us something special: Henna body art! Both Kim and Daschel received some incredibly intricate designs on their arms.

Sai smeared the art a bit on Daschel's arm. Haha.

3 more days before I depart Pune.....