Tim Hall, Final Year Medical Student, April 2017

My experience of Community Centre, Bilaspur, India
-Tim Hall
                                      Final Year Medical Student,
                                  Imperial College, London

​It is a small centre but busy nonetheless with patients sat out in the yard waiting their turn to be seen.

It’s a Saturday morning on the JSS campus and this morning we are driving out to visit the community centres where doctors hold their weekly clinics. From the Jeep’s rear seat, I peer out across the northern Chhattisgarhi farmlands – the pace of life is quieter compared to the bustle of Bilaspur and Ganiyari.

We hop off the jeep at the community clinic and have a quick tour of the centre. A sheltered area where all of the notes are kept, a kitchen, a basic laboratory and finally the consultation room. It is a small centre but busy nonetheless with patients sat out in the yard waiting their turn to be seen. I seek refuge under the ceiling fan which blows a cooling breeze as the first patients are seen. ​

Patients come in with all sorts of maladies ranging from arthritis to old TB. A lady presents with a severe pain in her ear which has now led to tenderness around the jaw and mastoid. The team suspect an infection which has now progressed. The nurse and doctor help her into the adjoining room where she can lie down, set up an IV and await the ambulance to transfer her back to JSS.
Throughout the morning the patients calmly wait outside in the yard, some peering through the doorway to watch the doctors’ clinic, recognising each other and sharing jokes between themselves. There is a strong sense of community and a very welcoming atmosphere.
After a busy morning clinic, it’s time for lunch!
We’re served generous portions of fresh rice and dahl sitting on the floor in the centre. I’m not accustomed to eating with my hands so I manage to find a fork from somewhere and wolf down the delicious food. ​