Caitlin McQuilling

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India: Seven and HIV+

September 23, 2010 in Caitlin McQuilling, Helping Children, India, Jaimie Shaff, Providing Medical Support, Voices from the Field by Jonathan White | Comments closed

by Caitlin McQuilling and Jaimie Shaff

Manoj and his friend Sunil (names changed) strolled into the link-ART office today and quietly sat down, neither of their feet touching the ground as their skinny legs and knobby knees dangled over the chairs.  At 7 years old Manoj is one of our youngest HIV+ patients, but also one of the most responsible.  Manoj and Sunil walked 15 km to get to our office today so that Sunil could pick up his ART medication from us for the month.  In his high little voice he told me how important it is to take his ART medication every day and says he follows all of our instructions strictly.

Manoj was extremely sick when he was brought to Jeevan Jyoti Hospital over a year and a half ago.  Malnourished with a vicious fungal infection across his face, he was never able to attend school because he was always out sick.  Both of Manoj’s parents died when he was young so his older sister has been raising him.  She couldn’t afford to care for him anymore and had no idea what to do.

We put Manoj right on ART and now a year and a half later he’s a healthy, little boy with bright eyes and a mischievous grin.  Manoj (and our counselor who visits him regularly) says that his sister takes very good care of him and monitors his medication and nutrition daily.  With RMF and Jeevan Jyoti’s help she’s set up a small convenience shop near their home where she makes enough money to take care of their modest household expenses.

Life for Manoj, however, will never be easy.  As we chatted over a bar of chocolate (okay, I know it’s not nutritious, but who can resist giving an adorable HIV+ little boy a bar of chocolate, even someone working in nutrition), I asked Manoj why he wasn’t at school.  He told us that when he went to school the teacher beat him for not knowing answers and being behind other children.  The other kids in the class made fun of him, not because of his HIV+ status (no one knows), but because Manoj is a 7 year old in a class with 5 year olds.  Manoj was so sick the past few years before he was diagnosed as HIV+, he is two years behind in school.  Since there are no remedial classes for slow students in the schools in rural India, today we agreed to find Manoj a tutor who can give him one to one tuitions so that we can bring him up to speed with the other kids and hopefully get him back in school by next semester.

Manoj is one of 18 HIV+ children that RMF India is supporting for treatment, care and psycho-social support.  For more information on how you can help Manoj and children like him visit our website, www.realmedicinefoundation.org

For more information about RMF’s HIV/AIDS treatment, education and outreach programs in India, click here.

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To contribute to this or any of our other initiatives, please click the Donate button below or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.


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The most beautiful smile, Part II

September 20, 2010 in Caitlin McQuilling, India, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Voices from the Field by Jonathan White | Comments closed

by Caitlin McQuilling

Back in April I blogged about an HIV+ pregnant woman who came to talk about terminating a pregnancy.  She had already lost 4 children, still births, before she was diagnosed HIV+, and then saw no hope in this 5th pregnancy.  When she came in however, she was already past 3 months pregnant, too late for an abortion.  We counseled the family that its possible for an HIV+ mother to have an HIV- child, 99% positive actually, if the family follows the proper Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission protocol (PMTCT).  I’ve never seen someone more relieved and hopeful in my life than this woman that day (here’s a link to my original blog: http://www.realmedicineblog.com/2010/04/12/the-most-beautiful-smile ).

Over the past 6 months our patient and her husband have been extremely diligent about following all of the doctor’s orders and our counseling advice.  The expecting mother was religious about taking her ART medication and made sure she ate for two.  When the time of her due date came near, the family went to Indore, the nearest ART center for delivery.

On September 9th, our two HIV+ patients welcomed a beautiful, healthy, 2.6 kg, little boy.  Before even calling his family to tell them the happy news, the father called Devika, our HIV counselor who had been with the family every step of the pregnancy, to tell her the news.

Working with RMF in rural India definitely has its trying moments, but today I got reap one of the best perks of the job.  We visited the family, who are still at the hospital while mom is recovering from her cesarean, and the new baby (yet to be named, as per their custom).  A beautiful, HIV- (99% chance, we can only be 100% sure at 6 weeks), little boy with a full head of hair and his father’s eyebrows.

As I spoke to the mother and ogled over the tiny hands, tiny feet, and the way his nose scrunched up as he dreamed, the look on her face brought tears to my eyes again.  The most radiant smile I’ve ever seen again crossed her face.  The smile of awe and pride of a new mother, amplified by the relief of a mother who’s child she worried about so much is going to survive.

With dedicated staff such as Devika, our counselor and the Indore ART center staff and the miracle PMTCT drugs available in India today, a tiny life was saved.  The same day, another pregnant woman was diagnosed as HIV+ at our ICTC center in Jhabua.  One success story completed and another one beginning.

For more information about RMF’s HIV/AIDS treatment, education and outreach programs in India, click here.

Folllow us on Twitter or Facebook

To contribute to this or any of our other initiatives, please click the Donate button below or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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Pakistan’s hospitality

July 12, 2010 in Caitlin McQuilling, General, Voices from the Field by Caitlin McQuilling | Comments closed

This is a post for my mother.  Everyone who hears that Real Medicine Foundation is working in Pakistan wonders about the security.  All we hear about Pakistan in the media is about the violence and War on Terror.  I have to admit, despite being a seasoned traveler, as a blonde American I was a little worried about my trip to Pakistan to visit RMF’s clinic in Balakot, KPK (formerly NWFP), especially when blast went off at a famous Sufi shrine in Lahore a day before my arrival.  After two weeks in Pakistan however, I have to say that I’ve been completely safe and have enjoyed a warm reception everywhere I’ve gone.

In Balakot, I was greeted with nothing but hospitality and gratitude.  While the kids stared and giggled, the mothers eagerly spoke to me about their problems and thanked me for RMF’s help.  No one asked about my nationality or politics – they only cared that I was there to help.  Dr. Martina Fuchs also had a similar experience visiting the Balakot clinic last year.  On her visit the local leaders organized an unprecedented community meeting, bringing together a variety of stakeholders (who often can’t be in the same room together) from the community to talk about the health care needs of Balakot and the roll of our clinic.  A few of the patients I met on my visit to Balakot remembered Martina and enthusiastically asked about her, her family, and sent their best wishes.

This kind of hospitality is not unique.  The people of Mansehra and Pakistan as a whole are known for their warmth and care for visitors.  It’s only in the past few years, with the encroachment of the Taliban into KPK that this area has gotten a dangerous reputation.

The limits of Tailban influence - not yet in Mansehra

Mansehra district where we’re working is not Taliban infiltrated according to local accounts.  Located a few hours away from the dangerous Swat valley, Mansehra is a pretty stable and peaceful area.  While some NGOs have moved their staff out of KPK for safety reasons, our staff is completely secure – the local community protects them.  Our doctor told me a touching story: Last year in the chaos that followed Benazir Bhutto’s assassination there was widespread rioting in the valley.  Buildings were being torched and raided and cars overturned.  At onset of violence, a group of men from the village nearby rushed over to the clinic to protect it from possible attack or looting.  These men took turns guarding their clinic for a week until the violence subsided.

It also helps that most of our staff is from Balakot.  The medical technician, pharmacist and maintenance staff are all locals and the doctor and Ladies Health Workers are practically locals since they’ve lived on-site in Balakot since 2005.

Pakistan may be a dangerous place caught in the war on terror, but as in any conflict around the world, while leaders gesture and bombs go off, it’s the local populations who suffer the most.  The people in Pakistan want the same thing that people all over the world want: to be able to raise a healthy, happy family.  They want education, healthcare, and livelihood, not all of this drama that has been thrust upon them.  I have never once felt threatened while here, thanks to the hospitality of our local staff and friends.

Real Medicine Foundation is dedicated to Pakistan and we see the overwhelming need for our work here.  As an organization, security for our staff is of course our number one priority, but we will continue to provide assistance to the people here as long as we can.

So don’t worry mom, I’m in good hands.

Still Providing Real Medicine in Pakistan

July 11, 2010 in Caitlin McQuilling, General, Pakistan, Voices from the Field by Caitlin McQuilling | 1 comment

Today I had the privilege of visiting RMF’s Clinic in Talhatta, Balakot, KPK (formerly NWFP).  I have to admit I didn’t quite believe the RMF team when they said that we’re the only health care provider in Balakot, the valley worst hit by the 2005 earthquake and with a population of over 120,000 people.  While I had no doubt that RMF must be doing amazing work in Balakot, I assumed there had to be other NGOs providing health care.  Hadn’t the whole world run up to the mountains of NWFP after the earthquake?  Doesn’t USAID give billions to Pakistan?  I was incredulous.

Today I got the chance to not only see for myself the amazing work we’re doing, but also see for myself that we are the only ones providing health care.  Driving through the valley, the roadside is littered with placards announcing the donation of every NGO and government under the sun but five years later everyone has pulled out.  There is one small government hospital, a beautiful brand new facility which is tragically underutilized: the x-ray room and laboratory remained locked, the doctors too busy in their private practices, and OPD hours shortened.

In the 5 years since the earthquake, the valley of Balakot is swarming with life again as families have worked to gain back their livelihoods.  But they haven’t built back.  Since this area is still a disaster prone area, the government has not allowed the residents to build their homes again.  The residents have been promised relocations, but 5 years after the earthquake they’re still living in temporary shelters and tents with no prospect of moving since the new “earthquake victims colony” being built in the next valley over is quickly being filled by wealthy residents from other areas.

In limbo, the residents of Balakot live in a semi-refugee status, with nowhere to go and none of the resources that the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in other areas of the country are getting.  Where everyday life such a struggle, at least the residents of Balakot have one silver lining: RMF’s clinic.

Located in a central point in the valley, our clinic provides high quality basic health care free of cost and provides patients transportation to the nearest district hospital (3 hours away) in our jeep/ambulance for serious cases.  With the mountains in the background and wild flowers growing in front of the facility, the clinic looks as if it should be the location of a mountain resort.  Instead, RMF has 4 functional buildings – made out of concrete and sheet metal – which serve as the doctors exam room, the women’s exam room, the pharmacy, and a small in-patient unit.  We also have a temporary premade building which houses the doctor and medical technician who live on-site.

In the women’s unit, our incredible Ladies Health Workers give ante-natal check-ups, exams, and family planning services (counseling, IUDs, injections, etc).  Our doctor and medical technician provide expert medical care, treating everything from wounds to respiratory infections and malaria.  Our pharmacy is fully stocked and free of cost to the patients.

I spoke to some of the patient outside the clinic.  One woman coming for her ante-natal check-up said that she had walked for 3 hours down from her village in the mountains to get to our clinic.  When I asked her why she came all this way, she told me how the Lady Health Workers had counseled her on how important regular ante-natal check-ups are for her and for her baby.  She plans on having the baby at our facility.

I asked another patient how she heard about this facility, a question which confused this woman.  “How did I hear about it?  Everyone knows about this clinic.  It’s the only place to go.”

One of the best parts about observing the buzzing clinic and watching all these women and children get treatment from our compassionate staff was the fact that my visit was unannounced.  For security reasons I did not tell anyone I was coming up to the clinic, so when I arrived to see everything fully functioning and moving, I knew that all of our reports from the clinic were true.

While Balakot is no longer in the international limelight, RMF has committed to helping the community.  This is no longer a post-earthquake emergency intervention, but a program which provides essential services to a community who is in deparate need of them.

Help us help Balakot.  Donate at www.realmedicinefoundation.org

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