In January this year I was fortunate enough to travel with a group of young health professionals on a charity trip to Bhopal, India. The charity we worked for are called ASHA and they aim to improve the quality of life of global communities by ensuring adequate access to education and healthcare facilities. The goal of this trip was to improve the health of schoolchildren living in the “basti” or slum areas in Bhopal.
We undertook a variety of activities during our stay. These begun with meeting the Doctors at the public eye hospital and a tour of the facilities –which include cataract screening and surgery accessible to anyone regardless of their financial situation. We then approached a local dispensary for their assistance as we needed glasses to be ordered, made and collected in one week – no easy task!
We screened the eyes of 200 local children and dispensed 20 pairs of glasses. Although the aim was to help the children, it was a fantastic experience for the optometrists also. We enjoyed the challenge of communicating with the children using translators and sign language and were rewarded with a game of cricket on the streets of India -an experience which will not be forgotten!
Day three involved watching optometrists in India and learning some of the differences between optometry in India, which occurs mostly in hospitals, and Australia, which is mostly in private practice.
We assisted medical students as they lectured local health care workers on subjects such as spread of infection and malnutrition in young children. We also taught the health care workers to measure and weigh the children so that and changes implemented can be monitored in the future.
The final day involved handing out the spectacles to those who needed them and saying goodbye to the school and hospital community who made us so welcome during our stay. Although we were sad to leave, it was a rewarding experience to give something back to those who truly need it. We hope that we made a positive impact on a community that has suffered a lot, yet welcomed us with open arms. ASHA is planning follow up trips in the near future to continue their education and healthcare program.
