Kerala   

A U.K. perspective on State health care

The geographical distance from the portals of Cambridge to the corridors of Kozhikode Government Medical College may be vast, but the students from United Kingdom found themselves in perfect sync with the medical practises here.

As they look back on their experiences in the last couple of weeks, Peter Mcdowal, Claire Hoxley, Ailbhe Burke and Katherine Lodge, final year medical students from Cambridge, feel they have gained insights on the functioning of public health care system in Kerala.

They are here on a month-long observation programme which is part of their medical training and can be completed at any medical college in the world.

“The Kozhikode Medical College has a wonderful website that gave us the details. We came to Kerala because of its reputation in public healthcare.” points out Peter.

“Dr. Ramachandran, Medical College Principal, responded to our request to undergo the elective observation in Kozhikode with enthusiasm. With his assistance, processing the papers was smooth,” says Ailbhe.

The students stayed on campus and attended lectures and practical sessions at the Medical College.

The fact that the classes were in English really helped, according to them.

Clare points out that students here helped with translations so they could interact with patients and know their problems.

They found that health problems are the same everywhere, except for the differences in the cultural milieu. Another difference was in the number of patients. The Medical College here caters to a much larger number than in the U.K., they said.

“The palliative care provided here is comparable to the best in the world, and the system is reportedly being replicated in other places,” says Peter.

They also noted that patients come for treatment at a much later stage here when compared to U.K. The patients were younger and the kind of diseases much more diverse here.

Another fact that struck them was that patients here were accompanied by relatives and friends which made it a lot easier for the sick.

They were amazed that in Kerala, doctors and students work for longer hours with enthusiasm. In U.K it is a five-day week. The general public too were kind and helpful when they travelled by bus or other public transport.

Attending a Kerala-style wedding was a new experience, and so was the visit to the Edakkal caves and the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary.

Maleeha Raghaviah

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