During the summer after my first year of medical school, I visited my extended family in the beautiful state of Kerala, India for an entire month. The trip provided me with an array of experiences, but professionally and culturally, which broadened my worldview of medicine and humanity.
While there, I had the unique opportunity to informally observe at Ernakulum General Hospital, the largest government hospital in the state. I followed an Internal Medicine physician along with five local medical students during morning rounds 3 days a week. The doctor I shadowed was a brilliant teacher and compassionate physician, and encouraged us to learn something new from every patient encounter. The experience gave me the unique opportunity to observe tropical diseases not endemic in the United States, such as malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis, filariasis, and leptospirosis. I learned about the unique patient population and medical system of India. The hospital provided free medical care to all citizens, but their resources were limited and many opted to seek out private medical facilities for better care. Regardless, medical tests and drugs were incredibly cheap with an MRI scan only costing $80 (compared to >$1000 in the US) and common asthma medications costing $20 (compared to >$150 in the US). Although Kerala is known as the most educated state in India, most patients were still unaware of their patient rights and viewed doctors in a more paternalistic fashion. Traditional alternative Ayurvedic therapies were commonly sought in addition to modern medicine.
Outside of my hospital experience, I was able to immerse myself in India’s natural wonders and the get to know the charm of the locals. I boated through the backwaters of Kerala and witnessed the monsoon-driven waves at the beach. I took the train to Hassan to see the ancient 800-year old temples of Belur, and visited Bangalore to see the shopping districts and beautiful botanical gardens. I spent a few nights at the hill station at Munnar, where I saw the tea plantations, rode an elephant along the river, and trekked through the rainforest. I rode the local crowded bus, a scooter, and an auto rickshaw through the hectic Indian streets where traffic laws barely exist and cars share the road with stray dogs, cows, and goats.
After my experience in India, I would encourage every budding physician to actively explore the world outside of the United States. Global medical and cultural experiences can permanently broaden one’s perspective and encourage medical students to develop into culturally-competent, understanding, and open-minded physicians.