A bit about my work experience [I]

I was lucky enough to be able to arrange a work experience placement in South India for 10 days in a pediatric hospital.


The experience was the ultimate eye-opener... It highlighted to me how lucky we are to be able to have access to such high-tech medical treatment in the UK. I was struck by how we never have to travel miles and miles to get to a proper hospital and how healthcare is so easily accessible here in the UK.

The experiences at the hospital enabled me to deeply contemplate the way the social and economic factors of a country, and even more specifically in a town, can dramatically effect the quality and the quantity of the healthcare available.

The Lead-Doctor's consultation room

The town where the hospital is situated (population around 180,000) is of a fairly small size, that is, in comparison to other Indian towns. It is as chaotic and bustling as you could imagine any Indian town to be. The hospital looked more modern than one would have expected of a hospital in such a small town. 

I met Dr. Madhu, the lead doctor, in his consultation room. I learnt by talking to one of the nurses that Dr. Madhu was the owner of the hospital and that he managed both the medical and the financial aspect of the running the institution.

His day was completely filled with patient consultations, meetings with fellow doctors and nurses, ward rounds, and even some meetings with family members.

A premature baby with jaundice being treated with photo-therapy

Patient consultations included prenatal and postnatal check-ups, vaccinations, diagnosis and follow-ups after a test. It helped a great deal that all the necessary tests and test analysis could be done at the hospital by in-house specialist teams (or occasionally at the nearby government hospital establishment) and the test results were printed and sent directly to Dr. Madhu for him to easily discuss with the patient about the results and consider any follow-up tests or medication/ procedures required. Prescribed medication could be purchased at the medical shop in the hospital. I found that this made it especially easy for the doctor to show the patient how a particular medicine should be administered and also to explain and clear any doubts regarding the dosage. 

One of the challenges that faced this establishment was to provide such high quality care, at great availability (in terms of opening hours for out-patients and round-the clock care-staff) but at affordable rates. The main patient demographic consisted of the working class who would struggle to pay for their treatment elsewhere. However Shri Madhu Hospitals has managed to provide affordable health care which rivals more expensive competitors. Perhaps it is due to the meticulous inventory of all medicines and equipment in the hospital. Or perhaps it is due to the entrepreneurial thinking of Dr. Madhu which has helped this hospital survive not only as a very successful, neonatal care provider in the vicinity of around 20 or so miles radius. 

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