A Reflection of My Learning and Thoughts While Working in India with UHRC: Danny Tea

When my school offered a rotation experience in India, I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to participate. When I applied and got accepted, I had no idea what to expect. After a month passed in India and it was time to return home, I couldn’t have been more happy and grateful to be a part of such an amazing experience.

This was my first time traveling to India, so I had absolutely no clue as to what to expect nor could I even imagine what to expect.  Arriving in New Delhi, I knew that we would be screening patients for hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the slums of New Mustafabad but nothing more. The second we stepped off the Seelampur metro stop prior to the rickshaw ride on our first day of work, every single one of us were in complete and utter dismay at the level of poverty this part of town was in, the same part of town just a short distance from the seemingly westernized and urban city our hotel was located.  No words can fully describe how unfathomable it was to me.  I remember during a meeting before we left, one of our professors Dr. Jacobson mentioned that we might be seeing a level of poverty that is going to be unbelievable.  Her words rang truer than ever. Limbless beggars lined the roadside next to small children no older than 5 years of age selling fruits and water. The air smelled of foul odor and flies were everywhere you went, including on the food being sold by the street vendors.

The neighborhood we worked in was equivalent to the environment depicted in the film Slumdog Millionaire. Some children and adults walked around barefoot. Trash was littered everywhere. I could just feel my lungs gasping for air because the air quality was so bad due to the lack of sanitation in the environment.  I got a firsthand look at the community, culture and the lifestyle of the residents here and the challenges they face in healthcare, education, food and everything down to the most basic necessities of life.  It was extremely humbling to be able to experience the reality of these people’s lives and the hardships they face on a daily basis. It not only mentally prepared us for the upcoming month but cultured us in a way that will help us becoming better pharmacists and better people.

We spent our time there split between different parts of the New Mustafabad slum in order to attract as many people as we could. We also took a weekend trip to Agra and held a clinic there as well. It was interesting and eye opening to be able to compare and contrast two different slum communities in differing cities. While the residents of New Delhi and Agra both have similar lifestyles in terms of diet and their quality of life, the medical data we collected from patients painted a different picture.  It was an immensely educational and enlightening process to be able to sit and reason why residents of both Agra and New Delhi both complained of shortness of breath but yet only the people in New Delhi showed very high incidences of hypertension.  I thoroughly enjoyed being able to bridge the gap between those that need help and those that can provide help, while simultaneously furthering my knowledge in medicine, pharmacology and especially public health.  I was never too interested in the idea of public health, mainly because I never fully understood it. This trip to India awarded me the experiences I needed to comprehend the root causes of many widespread health issues and in turn, I developed and acquired a great appreciation and respect for the idea of public health and all health care practitioners that devote their lives to uphold the ideals of public health.  Not only has this influenced the way I think, but this trip to India will forever dictate the way I act and how I carry on my life.

Dr. Siddarth Agarwal, founder and president of the UHRC, lends a helping hand in our clinic.

One of the greatest lessons I took away from this global health experience in India is not related to medicine or pharmacy whatsoever.  Living in a foreign environment where values and ideals differ from the ones you hold personally can really help to expand your thinking and understanding of the world. Cultural competence is something that can be taught, but not necessarily fully understood. Seeing a different part of the world and watching how people behave, react and carry on their normal lives really taught me the meaning of being culturally competent.  I can’t emphasize how humbling this past month has been for me.  Realizing that I was a guest in someone else’s country, I found myself taking a step back to observe mannerisms and also respecting the people’s beliefs.  It wasn’t until I understood them did I fully respect them. And it wasn’t until I respected them was I able to accept them. Cultural acceptance is something I learned during my stay and is something I find to be different than just culturally competent.  Working in close conjunction with the population and interacting with them really touched my heart. Despite our backgrounds or where in the world we are, we must not forget that at the end of the day, we are all people of the same kind.

Initially, interviewing patients and attempting to counsel them proved an arduous task.  However, despite our language barrier and cultural differences, we were able to develop a rapport with the community population without speaking a single word to each other.  Body language and unique gestures provided not only a mutual understanding but also a mutual respect for each other once we both saw the beneficial outcomes of our screening process.  It’s hard enough as it is to trust and accept someone without fully understanding their words and motives.  We were able to overcome all this and found a way to eventually have the people embrace us, and us them. Providing help to those that need it is something that anyone can understand.  Thus, it is not about where you live or how much you have that defines who you are as a person.  It is character that resonates the loudest and it is character that will always continue to stand as the universal language of people everywhere.

Danny Tea
Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate, Class of 2014
Touro College of Pharmacy
New York, NY