My summer experience has left me with several key takeaways on some of the core challenges that community health work faces. In rural India, there is very much a culture of fear around health, especially cancer - people have an almost "ignorance is bliss" approach to health and are scared of finding out that they have a serious disease. In large cities such as Chennai, this is coupled with the challenge of having only a few specialized doctors for a disproportionately large patient population, reducing patient confidence in timely healthcare provision. Both of these challenges necessitate the establishment of smaller clinics like the Privaram Cancer and Research Institute (PCRI), and nonprofits like the Kalpavriksham Trust which seek to increase awareness and bring basic preventative measures to the communities that need them. However, building confidence as a new organization is always a challenge, as well as ensuring that the community is aware of the service the clinic and nonprofit is providing. To that end, I've been able to observe and contribute to various drives that we are engaging in to expand our outreach - from setting up Google Ads to boosting our Instagram presence, as well as applying for various grants and sources of funding for our work (which is not cheap at all). 

Dr. M. Banupriya, the head doctor and founder of both PCRI and Kalpavriksham, has been instrumental in giving guidance and advice during my time at the hospital. Seeing the passion and commitment she brings to this kind of work every day is truly motivating, and at the center of all of her medical work is the desire to make treatments more accessible for the most vulnerable communities. She has told me about her experiences in medical school doing similar community health work for low-income children who were in need of heart operations, and seeing this thread of advocacy that has been central to her journey as a doctor has been inspirational as I am starting to look towards medical school and beyond. 

Here's a picture of a Hindu temple I got to visit over the weekend that was built in the 11th century!