It’s been a week since I’ve been in India. Unfortunately, although I do have internet, the connection is slow and I still am having troubles uploading pictures. I am working on it though, because I know nobody will want to read all these commentaries about my trip without some visual stimulation.
I’m staying here in New Delhi with my cousin. Accommodations aren’t that luxurious, but also not that bad. Basically, I’m roughing it compared to my normal life, though I doubt anyone who lived here would agree.
I’ve spent my time visiting family, my cousin’s friends, an NGO site, and a few media/news offices. There’s also been a little shopping thrown in, here and there, whenever we pass the market areas.
I went and saw CANSupport, an NGO site in Delhi. It provides support for cancer patients and their caregivers. There are no financial requirements and they give the medical help necessary for a cancer patient here to stay at home. They also have group therapy sessions for children with cancer and adult patients, where they talk and also have “laughter therapy”, reflexology, meditation, etc. They send out teams of doctors, nurses, and counselors to the houses of patients, where they get pain management, end of life counseling, and dietary help. Not much of a need for volunteer help, but still interesting to observe. I sat through an adult group therapy session.
Regarding cancer treatment here, the biggest problem I’ve seen is that diagnosis comes very late. By that time the patient doesn’t have much of a chance, even with chemo and radiation treatments, but with the mentality of people here, they feel that if they don’t get that option, their family is being cheap and doesn’t want to try and save them. The families go broke providing this treatment. Doctors here don’t really tell patients when it is pointless to go through a painful treatment, and instead let patients who have no hope of remission pursue these options.
Moving on, we get to the medical insurance issues. They now have insurance here, but pregnancy, cancer, and AIDS are all precluded. Explain to me please how insurance can have any benefit when it doesn’t cover major issues, especially in a country where dental care and yearly check-ups are not really in the vocabulary.
I also spoke with a woman who is a pathologist at a blood bank here. They don’t have a system like we do of donating blood. In many cities there is the logical problem of a lack of refrigeration. She said the main way they get blood is when someone gets sick and needs a transfusion, the family members all donate blood. She is working on ways to advocate for more voluntary donation and encourage people to care.
I promise to work on pictures again. I’ll try to find a location where I can get a better signal or a memory external drive to use.
And no fears, I will be putting pics of the cows on the street, rickshaws, and probably a public urinator or two.
