Hello there! Happy Friday y'all. Today was a classroom day for Team Iowa. We arrived at the Pallium Hospital around 9am with our gifts that we brought from home for the patient's families and children, and after presenting these gifts to Dr. Raj, our guest speakers began right away.
We first heard from a doctor of ayurvedic medicine, which is a traditional Hindu medicine that involves treatment with massage, oils, herbs, etc. This science is based on the belief that everything in the universe, including our bodies, is made up of different combinations of 5 elements: water, air, fire, earth, and ether. We learned about the different energies, functional units, and treatments that are used in this type of medicine, which was interesting, but I definitely wouldn't put my entire healthcare faith in such methods. That being said, ayurvedic medicine is an integral part of the culture of India, and can definitely have some beneficial effects for certain people, so I was glad to have been introduced to the subject today.
Our next speaker spoke to us about the history of the state of Kerala. We learned that Kerala's population of approximately 35 million people is about 54% Hindu, 27% Muslim, and about 18% Christian, which is a relatively high proportion of Christians compared to the rest of India. The state boasts a 94% literacy rate and a life expectancy of 77 years, again high numbers compared with other Indian states, as well as the statistic that about half of the Kerala residents have access to palliative care services, as opposed to less than 1% of the rest of Indian residents. It was this statistic that was the most shocking to me, and is a huge testament to the efforts of Dr. Raj and the Pallium India team and their vision to provide "care beyond cure" to the people of Kerala. It is no doubt that the number of people who have palliative care available to them will continue to rise as this organization spreads its mission and continues to help other training centers to get on their feet in other Indian states, which is encouraging and fortunate for all of the Indian people.
Following this presentation, we had lunch, which we had delivered from 1976, the restaurant across from our hotel which is owned by the same manager. The food is very American-friendly, and the service is always great. I had a "drumroll" which is essentially a grilled chicken wrap with some really yummy sauce, which I was very satisfied with. They also have Oreo milkshakes which are to die for!
The afternoon consisted of a presentation on bridging social barriers in the field of healthcare, during which we learned about "people-centered" healthcare systems, their core values and challenges, and discussed various scenarios that can arise that involve moral and ethical dilemmas. Audrey then gave a wonderful presentation and demonstration regarding the use of hypodermoclysis, or the subcutaneous administration of fluids into the body, in India as opposed to the intravenous method which is commonplace in the United States. Finally, we watched a movie entitled "Life Before Death" which emphasized the importance of palliative care around the world, and the cruciality of ensuring people's access to opioid pain medications without judgement from people who have phobias of opiates due to fear of addiction or dependency. These problems have been proven to be much less of an issue than the pain and suffering of people in need of these medications to treat their pain and suffering.
After class, we hurried back to the hotel and changed clothes, and hopped on a bus to head to Kovalam Beach. We didn't end up swimming because it was nearly dark when we arrived, but there's a really nice boardwalk with shops and restaurants that made it worth the trip. Unfortunately, the restaurant my group selected had very slow service, so we spent our entire two hours there and had time to stop into only one of our favorite shops, but I'm sure we will make at least one more trip to Kovalam before our journey comes to an end. Tomorrow we have a fun, probably once in a lifetime opportunity on our schedule, but I'll leave you hanging as to what it is until I post about it tomorrow! #NotSorry :) Goodnight to Team Iowa and good morning to those of you in the States, and as always, thanks for reading!
We first heard from a doctor of ayurvedic medicine, which is a traditional Hindu medicine that involves treatment with massage, oils, herbs, etc. This science is based on the belief that everything in the universe, including our bodies, is made up of different combinations of 5 elements: water, air, fire, earth, and ether. We learned about the different energies, functional units, and treatments that are used in this type of medicine, which was interesting, but I definitely wouldn't put my entire healthcare faith in such methods. That being said, ayurvedic medicine is an integral part of the culture of India, and can definitely have some beneficial effects for certain people, so I was glad to have been introduced to the subject today.
Our next speaker spoke to us about the history of the state of Kerala. We learned that Kerala's population of approximately 35 million people is about 54% Hindu, 27% Muslim, and about 18% Christian, which is a relatively high proportion of Christians compared to the rest of India. The state boasts a 94% literacy rate and a life expectancy of 77 years, again high numbers compared with other Indian states, as well as the statistic that about half of the Kerala residents have access to palliative care services, as opposed to less than 1% of the rest of Indian residents. It was this statistic that was the most shocking to me, and is a huge testament to the efforts of Dr. Raj and the Pallium India team and their vision to provide "care beyond cure" to the people of Kerala. It is no doubt that the number of people who have palliative care available to them will continue to rise as this organization spreads its mission and continues to help other training centers to get on their feet in other Indian states, which is encouraging and fortunate for all of the Indian people.
Following this presentation, we had lunch, which we had delivered from 1976, the restaurant across from our hotel which is owned by the same manager. The food is very American-friendly, and the service is always great. I had a "drumroll" which is essentially a grilled chicken wrap with some really yummy sauce, which I was very satisfied with. They also have Oreo milkshakes which are to die for!
The afternoon consisted of a presentation on bridging social barriers in the field of healthcare, during which we learned about "people-centered" healthcare systems, their core values and challenges, and discussed various scenarios that can arise that involve moral and ethical dilemmas. Audrey then gave a wonderful presentation and demonstration regarding the use of hypodermoclysis, or the subcutaneous administration of fluids into the body, in India as opposed to the intravenous method which is commonplace in the United States. Finally, we watched a movie entitled "Life Before Death" which emphasized the importance of palliative care around the world, and the cruciality of ensuring people's access to opioid pain medications without judgement from people who have phobias of opiates due to fear of addiction or dependency. These problems have been proven to be much less of an issue than the pain and suffering of people in need of these medications to treat their pain and suffering.
After class, we hurried back to the hotel and changed clothes, and hopped on a bus to head to Kovalam Beach. We didn't end up swimming because it was nearly dark when we arrived, but there's a really nice boardwalk with shops and restaurants that made it worth the trip. Unfortunately, the restaurant my group selected had very slow service, so we spent our entire two hours there and had time to stop into only one of our favorite shops, but I'm sure we will make at least one more trip to Kovalam before our journey comes to an end. Tomorrow we have a fun, probably once in a lifetime opportunity on our schedule, but I'll leave you hanging as to what it is until I post about it tomorrow! #NotSorry :) Goodnight to Team Iowa and good morning to those of you in the States, and as always, thanks for reading!
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| Audrey and company during her project presentation demonstration on hydrodermoclysis. |
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| A fun selfie of Liza, Aparna, Jesteny, Mara, and I (clockwise) during our quick trip to Kovalam Beach this evening. |
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