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Sewa International health services score a great success
“Sewa”, when translated from Sanskrit to English, means “service” and this is exactly what the doctors and specialists from Sewa International provided to members of the Guyanese public from September 17 to September 20. The group of 15 volunteers provided free health clinics to communities in Essequibo, Berbice and the West Coast Demerara.
Sewa International health services score a great success
The organisation, in collaboration with Sewa Guyana, the Saraswati Niketan of Guyana and the Association of Indian Physicians managed to reach over 1000 Guyanese in the course of their four day mission.
The delegates involved in the organisation’s Medical Outreach programme, who hail from Cleveland, Ohio, include: Kokli Patatel, Saroj Mahalaha, Lall Arora, Gita Gidwani, Jaya Shah, Nilam Babishi, Bhubendra Babishi, Varsha Mehta, Preety Sengupta, Dr. Cherukuri, Dr. Dinesh Shah, Arvind Shah, Smita Shah, Swati Shah and Ramesh Shah.
This is not the first time that Sewa International has conducted such public services. Since the organizations creation, in 1989, the group has made regular journeys to India with the same mission.
This is, however, the group’s first trip to Guyana. They were invited to the country by Swami Aksharananda who arranged the accommodations and the setting up of worksites for the group. While staying at Signature Inn on Laluni Street the group commended the hospitality and ease witht which they were able to carry out their services.
As the group noted, “It was easy to communicate with patients, and connect with them on a personal level, which meant that they understood their treatment recommendations and took them very seriously”.
The group was asked by the Minister of Health, Bheri Ramsaran, to also look into specific areas of concern that included diabetes, hypertension, alcoholism and depression – ailments that are common in Guyana. As the latter two are socio-psychological ailments, the group was lucky to have psychiatrist Dr. Mehta on board as she provided a verifiably clinical way to diagnose patients.
When asked about the treatment methods for ailments like alcoholism and depression, which sometimes go hand in hand, the doctors said that simple communication is vital. The doctors noted that depression was most common among teenage patients, and that the reason for this issue is because they feel that they cannot talk to any adult peers about their problems.
It was noted that, “patients were eager to voice personal problems!” which the doctors highlighted was a positive sign for treatment in patients suffering from depression in Guyana.
The team also focused on educating the public on personal healthcare. Simple things like regular doctor checkups and following the instructions for medication were highlighted as being steps through which patients can take in securing their well being.
Also part of educating patients, more specifically female patients, was the teaching of self exams for breast cancer. Patatel who was in charge of this service, along with assistance from Dr. Mahalaha, regarded that “the best gift that patients can give us, is to teach it (breast cancer self exams) to their sisters, mothers, grand-mothers, friends and fellow women”.
These lessons were done with the hope that the sooner women in Guyana are able to detect possible masses, the sooner they can seek medical treatment and reduce the rate of death from breast cancer.
Lessons in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) were also provided to the public, which had a turnout of about 60 persons.
Bhubendra, who specialises in Public Health, observed that “pesticides pose a major problem to farmers. It has the side-effect of causing numbness to various parts of the body”. He continued to elaborate that he will be incorporating his observations with the intention of improving education in healthcare and the environment. He also commented that “medication is good but ultimately, practical and educational methods can go a father way in healing patients.”
Some members of Sewa International Medical Outreach Mission were Guyanese volunteers, among them medical students. The team acknowledged that without their help a lot of their clinics could not have been as effective as they ultimately ended up being.
The Sewa International team said that its mission was a great success and it plans to return to Guyana to carry out more free clinics in the future.
Picture saved in Thursday as Sewa International
Caption “Sewa International Team”
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