Pre-Screening for Doctor at School Program

The Swiss volunteers volunteering in the pre-screening process of the Doctor at School Program

The Vaccine Debate

Vaccines are one of the most successful health interventions that bring about significant reductions in infectious diseases and adverse health consequences and improve quality of life in the population.

In a situation where there is abundance of new and expensive vaccines on one hand and limitations of resources on the other, it becomes imperative that use of vaccines through induction in the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) as well as in the free market is done through a framework of decision-making that confers positive health and economic benefits to the society. The UIP in India targets 2.7 Crores infants and 3.0 Crores pregnant women every year and is one of the largest in the world. The country also has a 

strong vaccine manufacturing capacity that has recently taken on the challenge of producing more complex vaccines. Most of the new vaccines are used by one segment of the population, which can afford them, while the most vulnerable segment of the population, which is serviced through the UIP misses out on this opportunity.

Participate in a healthy discussion and debate about the UIP in India, vaccine policy in the US and Switzerland

Time: 10 am to 12 noon

Date: 22nd June 2013

Venue: MEG School, PSK Naidu Road, Coxtown, Bangalore - 560005

Facilitated by Dr Dayaprasad G Kulkarni

Karnataka Cancer Society

Poster drawn by a student

 The first week of our internship we went to Vaiyalikaval to meet the Dr Sastry, one of of the former presidents of the Karnataka cancer society. We were supposed to meet him around noon but he had a lot of work that day so our appointment was postponed to later in the afternoon. In the mean time we were given a small tour of the place by one of his coworkers. In the conference room at the first floor we discovered more than twenty different posters about tobacco prevention made by students from different colleges. There was also information about oral cancer and it's relation to tobacco  We then left and came back the next morning. We arrived and were given a very nice breakfast: idly and vada. We met Dr Sastry once more who gave us very useful information about how they worked. They had also planned a free screening day for local patients but it wasn't quite as successful as expected. He told us the reason was a late promotion of the free screening day. The add for the event was in the news paper the same morning, which probably mad it a little complicated for patients to get organized. The next two days the free screening of patients was quite successful. Many patients were checked and given prescription if needed. On the 31st of May, the international anti-tobacco day, the Karnataka cancer society organized a big rally. Plenty of students had prepared some signs and were ready to show them to the people on the streets. It was a real success and we realized how involved everyone was for oral cancer.

Nurses with there signs ready for the rally

MEG Swiss Team

Telemededecine in India (In french)

Nous avons rencontré le Dr Sanjay Sharma, un chirurgien spécialisé dans le colorectal, PhD en Âyurveda et l’un des principaux responsables du programme de télémédecine en Inde.

Tout commence en 2005, où force est de constater que ce qui manque réellement dans les régions rurales est un accès aux soins médicaux supérieurs. En effet, dans chaque village il existe une personne pratiquant une forme de médecine avec ou sans qualifications qui est capable de prodiguer des soins primaires.

Un deuxième problème est le manque de technologie dans les milieux ruraux. Ce problème oblige les gens à se déplacer, engendrant ainsi toutes sortes de complications supplémentaires.

Ainsi, les soins sont suffisants pour la plupart des problèmes mineurs, mais sont souvent inappropriés et tout simplement inefficaces lors de problèmes plus graves. Pour des soins plus spécifiques, les patients doivent se déplacer dans des centres médicaux, parfois très éloignés et difficiles d’accès. C’est pour cette raison que beaucoup y renoncent tout simplement.

L’introduction d’un équipement « low-cost » de base a permis de résoudre le problème matériel. Seulement, un équipement moderne sans personne pour le manipuler est parfaitement inutile.

Pour remédier à ce problème, différentes options ont été envisagées. La première, irréaliste,  aurait été d’envoyer un médecin qualifié sur place. Même si cette dernière option s’était avérer possible, il y aurait de toutes les façons eu un problème de confiance de la part de la population locale. En effet, ces gens connaissent et sont habitués à aller voir le soignant du village, quel qu’il soit. Rapidement, ils ont réalisé que le seul moyen d’y parvenir serait de passer par des gens déjà présents sur place.

Ainsi est née l’idée d’implanter un système de télémédecine. Il s’agissait de former les gens sur place à utiliser la technologie de base pour prodiguer des soins de qualité supérieure et de les relier par internet à des médecins spécialistes dans les grandes cités. Ainsi, ils seraient capables de détecter des choses simples tout en ayant un avis d’expert pour les cas plus compliqués. Ils peuvent communiquer avec le médecin en ville via internet, à savoir via e-mail, conversation téléphonique et même webcam, ce qui permet aussi au médecin de dicter des gestes à faire et de les suivre en direct. S’il y a nécessité d’un examen physique, type gynécologique ou très spécifique, les patients sont envoyés dans les centres de santé environnants. Ce système a l’avantage de détecter les maladies à des stades plus précoces, et d’envoyer dans les cités uniquement les gens qui en ont réellement besoin.

La personne qui prodigue des soins localement obtient un certificat au bout de cinq jours de formation mais n’a pas l’autorisation de prescrire des médicaments autres que ceux accessible en pharmacie sans ordonnance. S’il y a besoin d’autres médicaments, c’est le médecin en ville qui fera la prescription.

Le projet a été expérimenté en 2007 dans l’état du Tamil Nadu, état dans lequel les soins sont déjà de bonne qualité et l’accès aux soins plus facile. Si le projet marchait dans cet état, il marcherait partout en Inde. En effet, il fallait être sûr de la rentabilité et de l’efficacité de la télémédecine avant de l’étendre au reste du pays. Une clinique utilisant la télémédecine a besoin d’électricité pour fonctionner convenablement.  Pour remédier au problème de coupures d’électricité, ils ont eu recours aux panneaux solaires.

Etant donné qu’il s’agit d’une société privée, les soins ne sont pas gratuits. Cela crée aussi une certaine compétition qui permet de maintenir le niveau des soins. Si les gens ne veulent pas payer, ils continuent simplement à utiliser les hôpitaux gouvernementaux, c’est-a-dire le système indien normal. Cependant, dans certains états, le projet est subventionné par le gouvernement et les soins deviennent ainsi gratuits pour tous.

Aujourd’hui, le projet est implanté dans 800 cliniques dans le nord de l’Inde. Il s’agit du plus grand réseau de télémédecine au monde.

MEG Swiss Team

Law, Human Rights and Public Health

Law, Human Rights and Public Health

An interaction with Vinay Sreenivasa at the Alternative Law Forum.

Time: 2pm
Date: 18th June 2013
Venue: ALF Office, 122/4, Infantry Road, Opposite Infantry Wedding Hall, Bangalore, India 560001

ALF was started in March, 2000, by a collective of lawyers with the belief that there was a need for an alternative practice of law. We recognize that a practice of law is inherently political. We are committed to a practice of law which will respond to issues of social and economic injustice. Over the past few years ALF has grown from being a legal service provider to becoming a space that integrates alternative lawyering with critical research, alternative dispute resolution, pedagogic interventions and more generally maintaining sustained legal interventions in various social issues. We are also commited to an inter disciplinary interrogation of the law using creative forms. ALF perceives itself simultaneously as a space that provides qualitative legal services to marginalized groups, as an autonomous research institution with a strong interdisciplinary approach working with practitioners from other fields, as a public legal resource using conventional and unconventional forms of creating access to information, as a centre for generating quality resources that will make interventions in legal education and training, and as finally a platform to enable collaborative and creative models of knowledge production.

A discussion on Emergency and Critical Care

A discussion on Emergency

and Critical Care

Friday, June 14^th 

2:00pm-4:00pm

LOCATION:MSRMH Board Room, M S Ramaiah Medical College

Join us as we learn about the three contrasting emergency and critical care systems operating in  Switzerland, the United States and here in India. A brief presentation will be given about each country, outlining the manner in which emergency and critical care are provided to its citizens and the intricacies of these services. Following the presentations, there will be an open exchange of ideas involving the audience.

This program is done in collaboration with Doctors For Seva, Department of Medical Education and Department of Emergency and critical care; M S Ramaiah Medical College and Madhyama Foundation.

	Topic	Speaker	Time
02.00PM	Introduction to the Program and speakers Introduction into Emergency care in India	Dr Dayaprasad G Kulkarni Dr Kumar, President Medical Education	15min
	Emergency Department Care process	Group 1, Switzerland (Milena, Annabel, Srilak, Micheal)	15min
	Strategies to save time in the ER.	Group - 2, Switzerland (Karin, Adrien, Yann, Jonathan)	15min
	Emergency Department (ED) care process	Dr Aruna C Ramesh Chief of AES, MSRMH	15min
03.00 PM	Brief overview of the US system.	Group - 3, USA (Ila, Harika, Sai)	15 min
	Inter hospital transfers-Our experience	Dr Rathna COO MSR CARE	15min
	Economics of emergency care, public health implications	Dr Naresh Shetty. President, MSRMH	15min
	Open House Discussion over Tea Break & Conclusion	Dr Naresh Shetty. President, MSRMH	15min

Talk Stories -3

Q & A with Dr. Sanjay Sharma

Facilitated by Dr. Dayaprasad G Kulkarni

Visiting Faculty, Department of Post Graduate Studies, General Surgery
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences


A opportunity to discuss corporate healthcare, advent of tele medicine, chronic disease management. Its interactions with public health and opportunities to find innovative solutions

Venue: 25/1, Skip House, Museum Road, Bangalore – 560 025
Date: 12th July 2013
Time: 4 pm 

Brief Bio:

Track record of steering growth initiatives for businesses ranging in scope within start-up, turnaround and large hospitals in diverse geographies and market segments. 

Adroit at aiming growth from new partnerships by identifying & assessing opportunities, mergers and acquisitions. Competent in spearheading large-scale projects, which includes planning, design & liaison with government/external agencies. 

Adept at Business & Services Modelling, Creating SOP’s, Capacity Building, Monitoring, Behaviour Change, Process Improvement. 

Possess rich experience in the areas like Public Health / Population Health, Tele-medicine, Corporate Wellness, Health Care IT, Hospital Administration, Neighborhood Clinics. 

An effective communicator with strong people management, leadership and entrepreneurial skills

Specialties:Core Areas

Healthcare Strategy Consulting
Innovative Health Care Delivery Models
Healthcare Operations Managements / Process Management
Public Health
Disease Management
Corporate Wellness
Health Care IT / Telemedicine
Project Management
M & A
Capacity Building

Clinical Specialization in Ano-Rectal Diseases & Wound Management

Talk Stories - 2

Walk with Geographer and Educationalist Dr. Chandrashekar Balachandran

Understanding India in the context of its cultures, traditions and Geography

Venue: Starts from Koshys Cafe
St. Marks Road
Date: 11th June 2013
Time: 10 am

Interaction with a social worker and philosopher, Bhaskar Guda

This morning, we were introduced to Bhaskar Guda, a social worker and philosopher. He is initially an architect, but doesn't really practice anymore. Instead, he is very active in the voluntary field and has been working with “Youth for SEVA” for the last past three years. Moreover, he likes to read and think in a philosophic way about what is going on around him, and how people act and think.

It was very interesting for us to be able to interact with him and talk about what we have experienced and observed since our arrival in Bangalore three weeks ago. Indeed, India and Switzerland function very differently in many ways and we tried to understand why these two countries are so different, based on a historic point of view. This helped us to understand the context in which we are working here and to reply to some of our questions.

MEG Swiss Team

Talk Stories

Interaction with Social Worker, Thinker and Philosopher - Bhaskar Guda

Facilitated by Dr. Dayaprasad G Kulkarni

Challenges and Opportunities for Non - Profit organisations, Development Professionals and Volunteers in creating Positive Change.

Venue: MEG School Auditorium
PSK Naidu Road
Coxtown, Bangalore - 560005
Date: 10th June 2013
Time: 10 am to 12 noon

Sports for SEVA day

On the 1st and 2nd of June happened Sport for SEVA, which was a fund raising sport event for the School Kit Drive, organised by Youth of SEVA. The benefits, about 25'000 rupees, will be used to provide school kits to 30'000 under privileged children.

There were lots of tournaments organised: cricket, basketball, volley ball, throw ball and chess. The participants were corporate employees, RWAs and apartment owners.

With the help of Doctors for SEVA we had a stall. There, people could get their blood pressure checked and their weight and height measured. We also provided first aid in case of injury.

During that day, we made a survey about the level of physical activity of the participants. 9 women and 25 men took part in the survey. the The results are the following:

On this table, we see that the majority of the people 

are doing a high or medium intensity sport. About

high intensity, there are more women than men, but it's the contrary for medium intensity activities.

This tabel shows that half of the participants had a  normal BMI, but most part of the women were overweight.

Here, the results are very good, because the majority of the particpants had a normal blood

pressure, even if a quarter of them are a bit high.

On this one, we see that there is no difference between vegetarian and non-vegetarian people, be it for BMI or blood pressure.