There are two problems we are running into starting a hospital in a rural province in India. First, people cannot afford to pay. We accept and want to treat all patients! There is a nominal fee for cares ($1.50 for a delivery). But, most people cannot afford to pay that. So, we accept and treat them anyway. It is difficult to figure out where the money will come from to treat these people, but we will find a way.
The other problem is, in other areas of India, people are still very poor. But, they know when to take their child to the doctor. In this area, they don't. They don't bring them until they are very sick. Sometimes, it is too late. I asked the doctor if he thinks they are not recognizing that there is a problem. He said, "no." He thinks they don't bring them until they start interrupting the daily life of the family. This is a farming area. Many families work in the fields 7 days a week. That's the way they earn money to support their family. Any interruption to that can result in them not having money to feed themselves and their family. So, they are hesitant to take the time to accept that someone is sick enough to get care. The quandary is, how do you change that? I, of course, think the answer is education. Which this family is trying to do. They run a school as well as a hospital. But, some poor families don't take the time for that!
The other problem is, in other areas of India, people are still very poor. But, they know when to take their child to the doctor. In this area, they don't. They don't bring them until they are very sick. Sometimes, it is too late. I asked the doctor if he thinks they are not recognizing that there is a problem. He said, "no." He thinks they don't bring them until they start interrupting the daily life of the family. This is a farming area. Many families work in the fields 7 days a week. That's the way they earn money to support their family. Any interruption to that can result in them not having money to feed themselves and their family. So, they are hesitant to take the time to accept that someone is sick enough to get care. The quandary is, how do you change that? I, of course, think the answer is education. Which this family is trying to do. They run a school as well as a hospital. But, some poor families don't take the time for that!
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