Medicine in India - Karen Slevin

Photos:

Construction work in Puliangudi
We stumbled across this one lunchtime on our way to clinic. It was a chain-gang approach to passing materials up the scaffolding, and we were amazed to see that it was mainly women in saris!

Caesarian section
My first Caesarian - Dr Senega is on the right, the baby's head is in the centre of the picture and its feet are being held by the surgeon on the left.

Nurses at the clinic
Eswari had bought her son, Vicki, in to work and wanted lots of pictures taken of everyone with him.

Waterfall - Kanniyakumari weekend
After a long hot day on a bus we couldn't resist cooling off under this waterfall - much to the astonishment of the local men!

The Twins
This was my first night in Puliangudi and my first trip to clinic. The other volunteer (Michelle Terheege) wanted to see the twins born, even if it meant staying late - we didn't leave until about 3 am but they were worth it! I'll never forget my first day there, despite jet-lag and lack of sleep!

I couldn't believe how quickly I adapted to the strange new noises, sights and more incredibly smells - open sewers are certainly distinctive.

The food took quite some getting used to - curry three times a day in a variety of guises. But my chilli tolerance is now amazing, much to the annoyance of my friends! Don't expect chicken tikka masala - that is anglicised North Indian food. Southern food is very different. Iddlis, dosai and iddiapam will become part of your vocabulary very quickly.

Medicine in India - Michelle Terheege

The most memorable incident was a week before I left. Just before I was about to leave the clinic for the night, a woman came in who was expecting twins, and she was actually in labour. I really wanted to see a twin birth so I asked the doctor and she agreed I could stay to watch. I stayed up talking to my favourite 2 nurses - all of us getting really excited until 3am. A boy was born first followed by a girl. I held the boy while they filled a bowl to wash them in. I then weighed both babies after they were washed. Dr Sherriffa's husband came downstairs and said a few prayers then he gave them their first food by dipping his finger in some water and putting it to their lips. It was so amazing to watch and then they asked me to give the babies their second food. I was so honoured and overwhelmed - it was amazing.

Karen Slevin and Michelle Terheege

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