The last week of PSM posting was at the SAMC ( Sexual and Marriage Counselling ) clinic, but not unsurprisingly it had patients only once in a blue moon. So we were mainly required to sit in the Nutrition Clinic, which is an adjunct to the Immunization clinic. We had only simple jobs there like noting the weight and height of the babies and plotting them on growth charts, administering them Vitamin A drops, and counselling mothers about breastfeeding and appropriate care for the baby if it was underweight. Internship cannot possibly get more relaxed and anticlimactic than this, I thought. A little bit more challenge would actually be welcome. But I really needn’t have worried because the very next posting would be both exciting and testing. Because for the coming two months, I am going to be doctor at a Rural PHC.
The first day of rural posting found us travelling in an ST bus at 8 in the morning, with the day already showing signs of being a scorching hot one. The RHTC ( Rural Health Training Centre) is located in a town called Saoner, which is about an hour’s ride from Nagpur. For an unseasoned bus traveller like I am, the whole experience of ST bus was quite amusing. It’s fascinating how public transport operates like a universe of its own, always shuttling buses which are eternally filled to the brim with a wide variety of people, connecting myriad different places to one another. If you think that Indians are only competitive in academics, you should see the frantic rush that ensues while boarding the buses to ensure yourself a seat. You can see the determination and intent on every persons face to be the first to board the bus among the crowd and funnily enough, even be the first one to get down from the bus even if the stop is the last one. Well I’m no exception to this conduct myself.
Anyway as we arrived in Saoner, the first thing we searched for was a place for breakfast. Evidently it wasn’t a town of early birds as hardly any eatery was open, but eventually we found a satisfactory one. After breakfast we headed towards the PHC, only some distance away. I had expected it to be a secluded place in the middle of a forest for some reason, but to my relief it was located right in the busiest square of the town, which shops, temple, police station, hotels all at a stone’s throw. The complex is a very spacious one with several one storey buildings – separate ones for OPD and casualty, and yet more for Leprosy and TB centres. It is equipped with its own patho lab, ECG machine, XRay and an admission ward. A huge peepal and several palm tree give it a lush green and pleasant feel. But marvelling at the architecture and aesthetic of the place was hardly a priority then as we had more pressing matters at hand.
First day at RHTC is reserved only for submitting the joining letter to the department and then the orientation program there. We all had reached there very punctually at 9, but as luck would have it the orientation wasn’t supposed to start till 1 oclock. Four hours in my life had never seemed longer. We roamed around the complex for a while and understood that there are five different sections, and two interns posted in each per day – Male OPD, Female OPD, Casualty, Immunization Clinic and Health Camps. Since there were 15 of us posted there, and only ten needed per day it meant that we would each get holidays in between. That was a delightful thought.
After four long hours, it was finally time for orientation. We were instructed on our expected duties at each OPD, and taught some basic treatment for common ailments patients present with over here. At 2 pm the orientation was wrapped up, as were all the OPDs. After this, only the two interns posted on Casualty Duty stay back, while the rest are free to go home. We then trudged along back to the bus stop and caught the first bus back to Nagpur.
Overall it was an exhausting but adventurous first day, and I’m sure that I will enjoy working in that setting for the coming couple of months. From what I have heard, this is the one place where we get quite a lot of respect befitting a doctor, both from the patients and the staff there. But with respect comes tremendous responsibility and the major brunt of work lies on the shoulders of Interns here. In fact it is now that I grasp the meaning of the name RHTC – Rural Health Training Centre – it is meant to train us Interns as efficient future doctors, and the scenario could be considered as a sneak peek into the more extensive and demanding work of city hospitals.
Well well, this should be an exciting posting.