Low-cost healthcare saves lives
Helping people like Bonda find health and hope through low-cost healthcare is what Chinchpada Christian Hospital in India is all about.
Bonda had been struggling with a cough, fever and breathlessness for six months when he arrived at Chinchpada Christian Hospital. He’d been getting progressively worse every week and was drastically losing weight, despite the IV fluids and cough syrups he’d been given at the health facilities near his home.
He had been told he would receive good care at Chinchpada, for a low fee. But, living five hours away from the hospital and with a very precarious income, he couldn’t afford the journey. He would have to borrow 3,000 rupees (£32) just to get there.
When father-of-four Bonda could no longer speak in full sentences without getting breathless he decided he had no choice. He borrowed the money and travelled to Chinchpada with his wife and youngest daughter, Sarita, leaving his older children at home to look after the family’s goats.
Bonda arrived at the hospital emaciated and breathing fast. He had a high fever and low oxygen saturation.
Within two hours, the MAI-supported team had diagnosed Bonda with sputum positive tuberculosis. He was started on treatment and steroids immediately. Sarita, Bonda’s daughter, was also diagnosed with TB and started paediatric anti TB treatment.
Chinchpada was able to diagnose and treat Bonda and Sarita free of charge, thanks to your support and the help of the Indian Government’s National Tuberculosis Program. Bonda’s family are extremely poor, and would have been unable to pay for the treatment themselves.
Once Bonda was ready to go home, the team provided him with the drugs he needed and counselling on how to look after himself and his family. Chinchpada also provided the family with food rations and eggs to supplement the lack of protein in Bonda’s diet.
Finally, they sent Bonda home with enough money to bring his other three children to the hospital with him when he returned for a follow-up, so that they too could be tested for TB free of cost. Thankfully, when they came to the hospital, all three of them were free of the disease.
Bonda and Sarita continue improving – putting on weight and gaining strength.
The team at Chinchpada go the extra mile to provide holistic, low-cost healthcare to people like Bonda and his family every single day. And they love to do it.
It’s a joy to walk alongside them as they help people who desperately need health and hope. Thank you!
