Student Field Clinics Provide Free Chiropractic Care in Northeast India
By Andrew Treloar & edited by Melanie Gibson

Murdoch University students working with local impoverished communities to improve their quality of life

Near the riverbeds of Siliguri in the northeastern corner of India, children from the local communities work to collect and crush stones from the river to sell to contractors. Their “back breaking” work coupled with appalling living conditions and inadequate health care constitute a bleak reality. For ten days, a health care group initiated by chiropractic students from Murdoch University will set up two field clinics to provide free chiropractic care, first aid and basic medical supplies for the children and other community members. This group consists of 25 students from Murdoch University, 5 qualified chiropractors and a paramedic.

Last year, the Indian Chiropractic Association endorsed the students initiative with Seva Kendra playing an integral organisational role. The feedback received was positive and now in its third consecutive year the clinic is an annual event with the aim to involve other universities. Seva Kendra, headed by Father James Gonsalves, is a NGO working with local impoverished communities to improve their quality of life and give them better opportunities. They are also very vocal campaigners against the use of child labour in India. The contribution of Father James and his staff by providing interpreters and access to the communities was invaluable.

The 3 communities that we targeted are located on the banks of three rivers: the Balason, the Chenga and the Manja. The people from these communities earn their scant income by dragging rocks from the riverbeds and then breaking them into smaller pieces by hand. The work is done in a squatting position and is hard and dangerous with around $A2 made for 10 hours effort. Despite the gruelling conditions they endure, the people were very proud and made us feel very welcome to be there.

The field clinics were set up in bamboo huts near where the people were working. The treating conditions were very tough with extreme heat and humidity making it gruelling for all involved. There was a triage unit out the front and treating tables inside. Musculoskeletal lesions were common but people also came in seeking treatment for a variety of other conditions, including infections, fungal and other skin diseases, hepatitis, diabetes, respiratory and cardiovascular problems, factures and other traumas. We helped where we could and offered first aid and chiropractic care to all, but in some instances we diagnosed and then had to write referrals for further treatment. At all times we were very grateful for the expertise and patience of the supervising chiropractors who helped us through the treatment process.

The positive results were many with most people responding very well to our treatment and receiving substantial increases in mobility and decreases in pain. There were also other amazing results that were attributed to our care but are perhaps harder to explain and many of us walked away feeling stronger in our belief of chiropractic benefits to heath. By the end of our time the news of our work had spread and we had people travelling many kilometres to receive treatment. One of the most rewarding aspects of our work was the opportunity to treat children. They made up approximately half of our patients and the smiles on the little faces and the thanks from the parents are something that will stay with us forever.

The student group views this project as an exciting opportunity to create an alliance with compatible organisations like COCA. Who share similar objectives, such as fostering student leadership and development; promoting integration of Chiropractors into the broader community and participating in activities related to public health. We also urgently require the assistance of another two or three qualified chiropractors to accompany us on our tour and provide professional supervision. Part of our fundraising is designated to cover the airfares of those practitioners. For further information, please contact me on 0411 204 088 or at andrewtreloar@hotmail.com.