An NRI doctor couple from Karnataka are doing their bit to retrain teachers in medical colleges in better healthcare and advanced practical teaching methods.
Prakash Kabbur and Nanjundachar Sumana have spent most of their working life in the U.S.. They had been training doctors and helping babies for over a decade, but formalised their work by setting up not-for-profit organisation Train and Help Babies (TaHB) in Texas three years ago.
Medical colleges and hospitals in Belagavi, Vijayapura, Hubballi and Bengaluru have benefited from TaHB. Events have been conducted in Belagavi Civil Hospital, BLDE Medical College, Vijayapura, B.R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, and Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubballi. The faculty and students of other colleges were invited to the sessions.
Training is given to nurses and anganwadis workers, along with post-graduate students and faculty. Lectures are either in Kannada or translated to Kannada.
“We used to conduct regular training sessions for fellow doctors for over 10 years. But the problems here are more than meets the eye, and that the doctors and paramedical staff were working hard, despite the challenges and suboptimal infrastructure, to save the lives of babies,” Dr. Kabbur told The Hindu . That is when they decided to formalise the training process by setting up the NGO.
The NGO has five models of outreach. They encourage medical professionals or others to adopt a medical centre — either government or government-funded hospital. It has facilitated the adoption of three centres in Karnataka now.
TaHB provides all funds and there is no financial commitment from the adopted centre. The primary health centre in Mishrikoti in Dharwad district is one of the adopted centres.
There is continuous collaboration for knowledge enhancement between TaHB and the hospital for training of faculty and teachers. Workshops are designed based on the needs of the hospital and trainers are from the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Two post-graduate students from KIMS have joined a study on treatment of asphyxia.
Equipment donated
TaHB has donated equipment worth a total of ₹24 lakh to KIMS and other centres in the last three years. The funds were raised from volunteers and service organisations like Rotary Club of Coppell in Texas. A youth chapter of TaHB organises awareness camps and events like walkathons on child health issues.
“We believe human resource and infrastructure are both important for health care institutions, especially in teaching hospitals where outcomes impact larger segments of the population,” Dr. Kabbur said.
In 2017, 10 healthcare providers, including doctors and paramedical professionals, trained teachers, students and personnel in KIMS, Hubballi. The results are already visible.
Dr. Kabbur studied paediatrics in Glasgow University, after passing out from Karnataka Medical College, Hubballi. His wife, Dr. Sumana studied public health in the U.S. after passing out of JSS Medical College, Mysuru. They can be reached at www.trainandhelp babies.com.
