We had the privilege to join Dr. Pruthvish and his medical team on a Kaiwara village health check-up. Around 30 people were invited to learn about diabetes and have a general health check-up (tension,weight and answers to a simple health questionnaire).
The event started gradually with people trickling into the Panchayat office, but 15 mins into the session the room was at capacity. It was magic to see the residents of Kaiwara glued to their seats eager to learn about diabetes. I was surprised to see people take time off work to listen about this disease and were clearly paying attention. Everytime they were quizzed by the presenter they had the correct answers.
M.S. Ramaiah staff teach diabetes basics to a subset of the local Kaiwara population.
Following the education session we, together with the Medical staff of the College, began the blood glucose screening. It was the moment of truth. Would people be willing to test their blood glucose levels in public? Would they want to know if they had diabetes? Would they trust the College staff, or our GIF team, with their health?
The pilot screening was our moment to test our assumptions and validate our thinking before making final recommendations to the college. This was our moment and we made the most of it.
We started by doing a blood glucose (BG) measurement demo. I volunteered to have my BG tested in public and after a few tries we succeeded. The glucometer displayed my BG levels within seconds and the public were impressed. We invited other to follow and so they did. The President of the Village Leaders was next, then the secretary, then the local healthworkers, then everyone else. It was a relief that people were so willing to do the screening with us.
M.S. Ramaiah staff and Eduardo from the GIF program testing BG levels of Kaiwara residents.
People lined up to get tested and once tested where encouraged to have their details written in a village log-book. There was excitement in the air as people started to know their numbers. They were told their BG numbers and they shouted them out to each other. ‘I have 265 (mg/dl)’ one would say to his neighbor. They neighbor responding back ‘I have 160 (mgl/dl)!’. To me it felt surreal; it felt so removed from the associations of diabetes I had previously seen where in diabetes is seen as a private business. It felt like diabetes bingo.
It was exciting, yet also sad. One of the caregivers we had interviewed a few weeks back had a measurement of 220mg/dl on a random blood sugar test – a result that indicates she has diabetes herself. I pondered how she felt to know that she has diabetes herself. It was clear that adding her own care to the mix would only add to the financial stress they experienced already.
At one point during the screening, Mark and I got called to join Dr. Pruthvish. This meant that during the time we were away, the testing process was slower as the M.S. Ramaiah doctors would have to complete all steps on their own. We hesitated, but upon our return, we were pleasantly surprised. The local healthcare workers were helping out and running the session together with the College staff. In effect, we were no longer needed and just as that, the pilot showed it can run sustainably with local talent. It was a heartwarming moment.
Above an M.S.Ramaiah intern and a local Kaiwara healthworker run the screening process.
We proved that the community is willing to be screened, that the screening process despite being cumbersome and complicated can be mastered by the local healthcare workers and that the work has an impact on the residents of Kaiwara – out of the 45 screenings conducted we identified five people who were previously diagnosed.
I think we should be happy to consider this a success because these five people now have an opportunity to manage their diabetes before they symptoms and complications arise. This was the win we were all looking for. This was success.
Above Mark B. handing over one of the four Glucometers sets to staff of the local Primary Healthcare Centre.
Above Susan H. and Alejandro P. handing physical activity inducing goodies for the local school.
