by Valerie Roche.

I am an Irish physiotherapist,working in the field of private practice, with a particular interest in foot biomechanics and sports injuries, and took a career break last October to back pack for 6 months in Asia, India being my main port of call. In the end I spent 5 of my 6 months just in the far north of India and totally fell in love with the country.

I spent Christmas in Bodh Gaya,in the state of Bihar, which is the state west of West Bengal (where Calcutta is). Initially I was drawn to Bodh Gaya because the Dalai Lama was giving a 10 day teaching there, as it is the village the Buddha was enlightened in.But I loved the village, it's rural, peaceful and very beautiful, particularly the surrounding countryside. So, I returned there 2 months later and stayed there for 6 weeks, doing meditation retreats at The Root Institute and enjoying village life.

The Root Institute run several social projects, which have social, educational and medical objectives, one of which is the medical centre, where I volunteered.I worked with a homeopathic doctor from the village, who is a young man called Sanjay, is very well qualified, kind and very holistic. He treats entirely with homeopathic medicine, also treats nutritional deficiencies via supplements etc, and has an acupressurist (Pramod) with him (massage is an important part of Indian medicine), and between the two of them I learnt a lot about a true holistic approach to patient care. There is also a small dispensary, and 2 nurses there.

So, while I was there, there was one Austrian physio called Beatrix who volunteered for 6 months and basically developed a physiotherapy service, which was quite a challenge as it meant creating a department from scratch, getting equipment etc., which is a bit difficult in India where there aren't many shops to buy things and not a lot of money around, and before her there had been one British physio called Fiona who was there for 2 weeks, and then there was me, and that's it! So since April or so, there has been no physio service at all, and it's so badly needed you wouldn't believe it!

The job description is assessment and treatment of villagers, both in Bodh Gaya, and in the surrounding number of villages, mostly children with polio, and a small number of cerebral palsy/CVA/orthopaedics. And a few times a week the physio will go out into the villages with the team to work locally. We were still at the stage of compiling information on the kids, picking up on problems, diagnosing polio and other problems, and making up charts on them etc. The treatment includes stretches, provision of heel raises/externally built up shoes to compensate for leg length differences, calipers and crutches etc. and in the process we picked up on about 20 kids who are gone beyond all this and badly need an orthopaedic opinion, re. hip flexor, hamstring or TA lengthening procedures, and then it will be more possible to fit them with calipers etc. and for them to regain their independence....and for many of them to stand up for the first time ever.

Our first 10 polio patients, all children, are scheduled to have orthopaedic surgery on the 9th September, and the ideal situation would be to have physiotherapeutic care available to them at that time, and for the post-op period. However, the need for a physiotherapy service in the region is ongoing, and so we would be appreciative of long OR short term volunteers.

So as you can see, things physio wise are in their early stages, and volunteers are badly needed. I  would be delighted to forward more information as required. And I will be returning to the clinic for a few months in February, but in the meantime, it would be fantastic if the service could be reinstated.So, regarding commitment, I feel personally that any length of time would be great even if it's just a few weeks. Obviously the longer time someone can give the better, because the service needs further development, but if you're interested in going over for any length of time, I would love to hear from you and we can communicate further.

Hindi is the national language of India as well as English, but there are 180 languages in reality, most of them local dialects, in Bodh Gaya, it is Bihari, and so the local language isn't really necessary, all the local staff speak very good English and will translate for you on an ongoing basis.

And did I mention good standard accomodation and yummy veggie food is provide in return??!

With thanks and warm wishes,

Valerie Roche, MISCP.

E-Mail:       valroche@yahoo.com