

A doctor comes twice a week, on Thursday and Sunday. Thursday is homeopathic medicine, Sunday is Allopathic (western medicine). Most workers are off on Sundays, hence it's a good day for health care. One of the government Health Assistants happened to be there the day I was visiting and he noted that he had been coming to Makaibari for the past 11 years and that he could attest to the improvements at Makaibari and the obvious commitment to health care. I asked him to elaborate and he told me that previously, children used to be loaded on tractors and taken to the hospital for routine immunizations but now it was systematized and done on premise. He said, "Everything is here at Makaibari, water, electric, care".
Each Saturday is Home Visiting Day. Sheila and the other nurses visit all seven villages and schedule "Mother Meetings" in the afternoons where they teach hygiene and sanitation - that they should boil water for at least 20 minutes, wash hands with soap before eating, cover cooked food, be wary of outside food, dispose of garbage appropriately, that women should breast feed for 6 months.
A German government overseas outreach project (GTZ), provided training for 11 workers at the Kurseong hospital with emphasis on ante/post natal care, application of dressings, AIDS education, blood pressure and preventive care. Volunteers and visitors in the health care field contribute by developing manuals, educating children in the schools and sharing know-how. Here are images of Sheila at her desk and Kavita indicating the range of homeopathic medicines.