For the last week and a half, we have heard non-stop news about the election – we have heard all about the candidates, the parties, the leaders and the policies. We have heard much speculation, as many tried to predict what was going to happen. We have heard about the votes being counted and recounted […]
Tell me about yourself. Such a simple request. Invariably the first question when you go to a job interview but the most difficult to answer. Where do I start? What can I tell you about myself? Well, one thing is that I have always been fascinated by genetics, and I studied this as one of […]
Public health aims to prevent disease, prolong life and promote health in a whole population, where health is not just the absence of disease but total well-being in all aspects of life. Public health usually operates within the formal structure of government in conjunction with efforts from organisations and individuals. It combines the study of […]
A few days ago we visited the village of Sharadwadi, which has a population of about 900. CRHP programmes have been run in this village for 13 years, but they are maintained by the community. This visit gave us the opportunity to see the local village health worker (VHW) in action as she showed us […]
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane. The notion of demystifying medicine refers to providing basic medical knowledge and training to local people so that they can then provide health care in their communities.
The last few days have focused on learning about the history and philosophies of CRHP and various programmes which run in the project villages. Most of this learning has been in the classroom, but has been delivered by a range of people involved with CRHP.
Yesterday, a three hour train ride followed by five very bumpy hours on a bus took us from Mumbai to Jamkhed.
As we entered Jamkhed, we were lucky enough to witness the groom’s parade which is a part of an Indian wedding. About 30 men danced around the groom who was on horseback, followed by a DJ truck playing very lively music.
Any Slumdog Millionaire fan will probably be familiar with the Dharavi slum. Spreading 535 acres across Mumbai, it is one of the largest slums in the world. The exact population is unknown, but estimates range from 300,000 up to one million. Yesterday, I went on a guided tour of Dharavi, spending two and a half hours walking the streets and alleys of the slum, learning about how the residents live and work day to day.
After arriving in Mumbai and having a good night sleep, I woke this morning feeling refreshed and ready to take in this new city.
I woke up too late to enjoy breakfast at the hotel so my friend and I had our morning meal at a cute little cafe called “The Pantry” – something I totally did not expect to find in Mumbai!
The captain has just switched off the seatbelt sign, and I am officially on my way to India. Together with a group of students from the University of Melbourne I will spend three weeks at Jamkhed’s Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) learning about primary health care and rural development through observing and interacting with the village health workers and the community.