This is a guest post by Ms. Sheron Mathew, our physiotherapist. Sheron completed her graduation in Physiotherapy from the Christian Medical College, Vellore.
I was sponsored by
Emmanuel Hospital Association for my graduate studies in Physiotherapy at the
Christian Medical College, Vellore. As I was the fag end of my internship, I got information that my 2 year service obligation
would be at Nav Jivan Hospital, Satbarwa. I wondered where exactly this place
was?
To my horror I found that this was in the middle of Naxalite infested
territory. I was scared in the beginning, but the realisation that God has called
me to serve at NJH with a purpose strenghtened me.
I was elated
to find out that NJH never ever had a Physiotherapy Department.
Yes! Finally
I get to be the Boss. And I get to choose how to keep the department. What colours
the walls should be ? I get to choose what type of things should be kept in
dept. A big awesome physiotherapy dept which has all the new equipments –
standing table, tilt table, IFT machine, Ultrasound machine, electrical
stimulation, new plinths for patients, lots of toys for cerebral palsy kids,
different gym balls.
That was me
thinking as a fresh graduate from the Christian Medical College, Vellore, where
everything was provided well; - doctors, physios, occupational therapist,
speech therapist, psychologist, implements, exercise machines, special rooms - without
which I thought I won’t be able to run physiotherapy department.
All these thoughts lasted till march 31st 2013, when I had an opportunity to visit
NJH for 1 week along with Ms. Ruth Ann, Physiotherapist who had
extensive experience abroad and in mission hospital set-ups including other EHA
Hospitals.
Sheron along with (from Right to Left) - Mr. Dinesh, Dr. Nandamani, Dr. Ron Hiles, Ms RuthAnn |
When I was
there in NJH in March, during rounds one of the doctors mentioned me that when
doctors come to hospitals like this they have to re-learn their medicines. I
was not sure of what he meant at that point of time. But now I can see the
clear picture.
I realised
that setting up a new department is not about buying new things, or putting new
colours on the wall or contructing and designing a special room. It’s all about
finally trying to explore new ideas which is cost effective without any compromise
of the quality of treatment.
One of the
problems at present I face is perceptions of staff and people about the
discipline of physiotherapy. Most them believe that it is only medicines,
injections and surgery which can cure a person. Which of course, stands true in
lot of cases but not in all. In conditions such as stroke, cerebral palsy,
spinal cord injury they need more than medicines or injections to make them
walk, stand or even lift their hands.
Then, there
is another group of people here who think physiotherapy is all about massage or
“KHASART” to be fit, and physios are the people who treat only back pain, neck
pain and shoulder pain.
During the past
3 weeks in the hospital and after few village visits, I found that though there
are quite a lot of patients who need physiotherapy, most of them are unaware
of services they can avail, and end up being in their house on a bed or in a
corner of the house for their lifetime.
I’m excited
about the Community Based Rehabilitation Project for People with Disabilities
in the surrounding communities. It is a blessing for me to be of service to the
community through this project. It’s a long way to go but I hope one day people with disabilities would
be finally be able to live with maximum independence possible.
Then, there
are stories of ignorance fueled by unscrupulous practitioners and quacks.
In last 2
weeks I had 3 cerebral palsy children who came for physiotherapy. The father of
one child told me that doctors elsewhere told him that his child is floppy
because her muscles aren’t strong and she needs medicines to make it strong.
The mother of the second child told me that the doctor they saw last told her that her son needs a surgery so that left Side starts working.
The family of
the third patient knew the condition of their daughter. But before they left
the department the father queried, “What is the life span of children with such
problems? We are old now. Once we die,
no one will be there to take care of her or feed her. Even her own sister won’t
look after her because she has her own family to look after. We wish her time (to die) is much
before ours.” This question is something I don’t know how to answer.
Before coming
to NJH, I wondered at what sort of a job a physiotherapist would do without an
orthopedician or a neurologist or a PMR (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) doctor. Till now I got to see patients in
almost all those fields - Respiratory
problems including patients on the ventilator, Snakebite patients who has nerve
damage due to compartment sydrome or those who require fasciotomies, acute
Cerebral events, Cerebral Palsy and Musculoskeletal pains of all types.
Well I think that’s
what serving in mission hospital means, where Jesus is the Great Physician,
consultant in all fields, rather the main consultant who guides His children to
provide the best service in the middle of all limitations to fellow beings created in God’s own image.
good information thanks for sharing about physiotherapy.
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