Distributing everyday illness medicine..

fnm500

Hi,

I would just like to ask people who have thought more on this particular subject or who have done this in the past:

Last August during my 21 day trek through the high mountains of Ladakh I met a young French girl who had been living by herself in one of the remotest villages out there, distributing medicine she had bought from Delhi (she transported 2 big boxes of medicine from Delhi to Leh and carried them by horse & foot to Lingshed, the remote village).

My first reaction was that of admiration. I was inspired. And also a bit ashamed.There I was living my selfish fantasy vacation and here was this young French girl who lived for a cause greater than her own.

But then as I reflected on it a bit more, I thought maybe it was a bit condescending towards the villagers? Sure they did have a dearth of medicine to cure every day illnesses. And it wasn't like she was trying to displace the local medicine either. Just trying to complement the local practise. But yet, it left a taste of superiority? They hadn't exactly asked her for her help. She had just been to Lingshed the previous year and seen that the local health clinic was always short of medicine for common illnesses.

I want to know if there are any potential medical, cultural or personal hazards in doing something like this- being your own NGO or U.N. without proper medical qualifications. Because next summer, I want to do something similar, but in my favourite village of Rinam in Zanskar, which unfortunately didn't have a medical clinic. But I don't want to do this if this would do more harm than good- most importantly I'm worried about whether this would have any bad cultural implications.


Thanks for any insight!

(And sorry for my English)

vistet

There are a number of concerns in any situation when you start handing out medicines. It is never easy , even when you have medical training.
* Knowing what to use in your own case does not mean that you can apply the same regimen to somebody else. Does the other person have any active allergies , has he/she had any reactions against any kind of drugs ? What is the correct dosage for a child compared to you as a adult ?
* Very few drugs can be given without a medical history ; none without any instructions. Are you sure that your communication works at this level ?
*Common household medicines can have devastating effects when children get hold of them (how many ladakhis can have any practical means of locking away medicines ? ) ; headache pills can cause kidney failure, iron pills can be lethal ( and is a frequent cause of accidental death in African countries) etc.
* Your comment on complimenting or replacing is insightful. How will you interact with the amchi (traditional doctor) ? Where will the villagers turn after they have come to rely on the drugs that eventually will run out ? How will this situation affect the relation between the amchis and their patients ?
I am in no way saying that we should "protect" the ladakhis from coming into contact with western medicine. In Leh you can see a healthy competition between traditional and western medicine and the ladakhis making pragmatic choices : they both have their strong and weak sides which the ladakhis are perfectly competent to discover. But introducing methods without being able sustain them can , at worst , leave people poorer than they were before. First they learn to trust and see the value of another tradition , then they lose access to it, turning back back to the amchi will by then have become the second best option which many times can will influence the outcome of the treatment...

Every time I pack my medical kit I am aware that that some of it may be for the use of somebody else. I am also relieved every time I see it can be avoided. The only time I used it on my last trip was to give a mild painkiller to a young monk (child dosage) and I made a visible point of seeing the supervising monk and asking his permission first. I was also relieved to see that the boy was okay the next morning. If not , I would have been stuck with with the responsibility of deciding on advising the next step. This kind of considerations are inevitable as soon as you start helping sick people . What do I do when my help is not working ? Who/what is willing and capable to do more ?

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high road to ..

IainC

I have been to Ladakh twice and came across this situation. Personally, I wouldn't act like the Red Cross, although a commendable action, this could lead to many problems. If I wanted to distribute medical supplies I would make a donation to a charity/ngo that has experience of this. Just a personal view. I think a greater problem may be 'playing doctor'. Several times I was approached by locals asking for sticking plasters, aspirins etc. A sticking plaster is no real problem, but when a queue of people arrive looking for treatment (and you are not a doctor) then you are in a spot of bother.