Indian doctors are innovative, take high case loads and their clinical abilities are far advanced than their counterparts from the West as the latter depend heavily on technology, opines Farhat Mantoo, Head – Human Resources, Office & International Field Staff South Asia of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders.
Dr Farhat was participating in the inaugural of the four-day ‘Healthcare Sabha 2017’, which got under way here on Thursday.
MSF, acronym for the French organization, was started in 1971 in Paris. Today, it is an international, independent and medical humanitarian organisation, based in Geneva, Switzerland. It renders emergency medical aid to people affected by war, epidemics and natural disasters. MSF India was registered in 1999.
“We have doctors from 119 nations working with us and by far Indians are the best. In India, we have projects in seven States — Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and West Bengal. A project to do operational research on malnutrition will begin soon in Jharkhand,” Dr Farhat told The Hindu on the sidelines of the Healthcare Sabha.
“An evaluation is done on the ground to determine the people’s needs before launching any project. The survey can be done in coordination with the State and District Health authorities. In India, the healthcare delivery system is good and we don’t replicate what the government is already doing but only supplement the efforts, wherever there are gaps,” she said.
Psycho health survey in J&K
“In J&K, we are doing a psycho health survey in coordination with Nimhans, Bengaluru, and the University of Kashmir. In Maharashtra, we are involved in the treatment of TB patients, who have developed Multi-Drug Resistance TB. Similarly, in Telangana, we are operating mobile vans to provide maternal healthcare and treatment of TB in remote areas.”
“In war zones and in difficult contexts, we (MSF) adhere to the principles of neutrality. We do not take sides with the warring groups and our only concern is treatment of the wounded and the sick. Our doctors, with an adventurous bent of mind and willing to take risks, are sent on medical missions to various countries, which gives them international exposure and experience,” she said. Dr Kalyani Gomathinayagam of Tamil Nadu received all-round appreciation when she went all the way to Africa on a mission and treated people affected by the Ebola virus. Dr Kalyan Velivela and Dr G. Srinivasa Rao of Telangana participated in medical missions in Sudan and Ukraine.
