Palavpada-Bahirampada Mid-year Medical Camp-Phase 1

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Team Suhrid conducts two sets of camps of every year. First set is conducted just before Diwali. Based on the outcome of the same, doctors prescribe medicines and changes in the diet. We observed the kids for next 6 months and verify the results in the second set of the camps, which are held in March. As a part of this exercise, we organized our first set of camps on 27th Sept, 2014.

A team of 16 volunteers, which included 2 doctors and 2 para medicos conducted this camp.

Camp at Palavpada Anantpur

First camp was organized at Palavpada Anantpur, wherein we examined 138 kids from two schools (Palavpada and Palavpada Anantpur). The camp was well organized and we got very good cooperation from the teachers and the students. Apart from the general health checkup, specific verifications are done for hygiene, deworming and nutrition. The key observations were:

• Older students, who have been with us for long, showed good improvement in deworming and Nutrition. New kids – who are with us for 3 months – would have to show more progress.
• Cough, cold and viral infections were a bit common. Ear related problems due to constant ignorance of cough and cold were visible.
• Mild Tonsillitis was seen in almost 60% of the students.
• Oral Hygiene needs to be worked upon. Lack of it led to many other ailments.
• Skin related problems have reduced.

Doctors write down all the details (observations, medications etc) in the case paper of the individual student. Teachers maintain the same and bring it before the camp. Doctors distributed the medicines (Calcium, Folic Acid, Multi Vitamin, Eye Drops ..) and provided the instructions to each teacher.

Dr Lipsa and team had a brief session with the parents to make them aware of the importance of hygiene in day-to-day life. Almost 38 kids were given tetanus injection.

Each kid was given goodies at the end of the checkup. We distributed floaters to the new students. This camp timing was 10:45 AM to 2:30 PM.

Camp at Bahirmpada

Second camp was held at Bahirampada, which was almost 20 minutes drive from Palavpada Anantpur. Majority of the residents are called Bahirams. Dattu Bahiram – head of this community – takes personal interest in our initiatives. He has made his grampanchayat office available for Suhrid Foundation related activities. Moreover, he made arrangement for sumptuous meal for all of us using the homegrown grains and vegetables.

Second camp was meant for the local school Bahirampada (86 students) and two distant schools Khandeghar (44 students) and Toplepada (43 students). The camp was organized at Grampanchayat Bhavan.  Khandeghar and Toplepada were included recently. Hence, all the kids were given Tetanus injections. The total count of tetanus injection in the second camp was 90.

Findings were more or less similar except for that fact that ENT issues were relatively less. New schools did show good progress in hygiene and nutrition. However, deworming would take a few more months to show the effect. Doctors distributed medicines and provided the instructions to the teachers.

Across both the camps, our doctors earmarked more than 12 kids for the advance treatment. Team Suhrid would arrange to get the kids to Mumbai and handle their advanced treatment. Their problems are linked with Ear Discharge, Fits, Slow learning, Skin problems and TB.

All the students from the new schools were given floaters. The camp ended at 6:30 PM.

 Click on this icon to see what our first time volunteers at Suhrid – Sakshi and Rajiv – had to say about their experience in the camp.

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