Katihar Health Camp

After Kamalpur we were going to Katihar. This was second most anticipated part of the trip after Kamalpur for me. I was very interested in revisiting the schools from my last trip, and to see their progress. Vineeta accompanied me to hold a little health camp for the children. When I showed her pictures of the children I had met on my last trip, she mentioned the children were malnourished, and could probably use a health screening. The health camp really spiraled into something that I wasn't expecting... neither was Vineeta. A woman that has started a local charity hospital in the center of town offered her hospital for the health camp. The people of Jyotirgamaya put up banners all over town. Approximately 500 people showed up for the health camp... I was expecting about 100.

Vineeta gave me a quick 30 second training on how to do an eye exam and test motor skills and I was off to work. The biggest hurdle with testing the children was illiteracy. Many of the children couldn't read, so the eye test was difficult for them. Most of the Jyotirgamaya children didn't show up for the health camp. The camp was held in the town center, the Jyotirgamaya children had no means of transportation. On our drive over to the center, Vineeta and I stuffed about 30 children in the ambulance with us. We wanted them to get tested. Most of the ailments Vineeta found were worms, scabies, lice, etc. Some were more serious: TB, neurological problems, thyroid issues. I found a couple of children that could use a pair of glasses...

I noticed that the free health camp drew people of all walks of life. Most of these people were middle class if not upper middle class. Not too many desperately poor people showed up to the camp. I don't know if this was poor advertising, or if they, like the students of Jyotirgamaya, didn't have transportation to this site. A lot of the parents were very pushy. If I didn't write 20/20 on their eye chart they asked me to change the number... :) 

The way the health camp was set up, I got to see the patients first, then I would send them to Vineeta. At any given time I had about 200 people standing in front of me asking me to take their child next... I realized I don't usually work with people on such a grand scale. I work in a team at work, I am more use to one on one or one on two conversations. At the end of this day I was mentally and emotionally exhausted like I have never been before.

That night when I went to sleep I was haunted by the images of the parents waiting to get their child tested. Some waited so patiently, some were so aggressively pushing their way. Writing the eye "score" reminded me so much of getting a report card in school. The parents were waiting for their child's good "grades." In some cases, with the really pushy parents, I was hesitant to give the child a less than 20/20 score. I knew that child would go home and get in trouble for their poor "score." The ignorant parent would scold the child for his/her myopia. One boy who had failing vision looked at me with a plea in his near-sighted eyes... I couldn't lie on his chart, I knew the glasses would change his life.