Posted: 22/04/2008
Meena has worked tirelessly as a (Community Health Volunteer) CHV in her slum for the 18 years since she was initially trained by Asha. She takes an interest in the health of all her community members, and is aware of the need for prompt treatment of any illnesses.
Her knowledge of health matters meant that she consulted an Asha doctor soon after experiencing menstrual pain. The doctor initially thought it was a temporary problem, and prescribed painkillers to take whenever she felt the pain. Meena couldn't ignore the pains when they became more frequent, however, and again asked the doctor's advice.
She was sent for an ultrasound scan and a PAP smear, and both results were normal. Still feeling tired and restless, and in increasing pain, Meena started to fear that her problems were caused by cancer. After being admitted to hospital to undergo a biopsy of uterus tissue, she faced a 25 day wait as she became more and more convinced that cancer was the problem.
Following the agonising delay, a doctor gently confirmed that Meena was suffering from cancer, and that she would need radiation therapy and a hysterectomy to remove her uterus. Meena does not live alone, but her husband suffers from severe asthma and is often unable to work. Her son lives in a different state, and rarely visits his parents. She was concerned about being admitted to hospital, and also desperately worried about how much the treatment would cost. She was told she needed a CT scan before further treatment, and that alone cost at least Rs5000 (around $110).
Around the same time, Dr Kiran Martin, Asha's director, visited Dr Ambedkar Basti and noticed that Meena wasn't there. She heard about Meena's illness, and later called Meena to the Asha polyclinic, talked with her about the doctor's advice, and gave her Rs5000 and a letter to take to a nearby hospital.
On reaching the hospital, Meena was told her scan would be Rs6000, but when she presented them with the letter explaining all her work for Asha, they asked for only Rs4000. When her scan results came through, Meena was asked to get herself admitted to hospital as soon as possible, and so her family took her the same evening.
The operation was traumatic for Meena, and for the first two or three days afterwards she was able to hear what was going on around her but was unable to react. Twenty long days later, she was discharged. Shortly after that, she began radiotherapy five days a week.
Today, Meena tells us that she is feeling a little better, but still not well - the operation and radiotherapy will hopefully cure her completely, but it will be a slow process. In the meantime, Meena is still carrying out her duties as a CHV when she feels up to it. We are all glad that we have been able to be of some support to Meena after she has spent nearly two decades working hard for her community and for Asha.
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We had been working with Asha to improve our slum for many years, but our homes were destroyed as the government needed the land. Asha helped us to get land allocated somewhere new and now, 4 years later, our area has water supplies, electricity, schools and healthcare.
Parvati, Community Health Volunteer, Savda Ghevra
