Category Archives: Healthcare

First Kiwi guest at home

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About three months ago, a 55-year-old man from Auckland contacted me through Couchsurfing. He wanted information about Varanasi and expressed a desire to travel with someone. He even asked if I would be interested in being his tour guide for all of India. I was thrilled and immediately agreed to the offer. However, he later informed me that he had found many hosts in India, so he canceled his plan to hire me as his tour guide. We stayed in touch online over the next few months, and he finally arrived in Varanasi on the 6th.

I went to meet him at his hotel, where he gave me an iPod and a coat as gifts. He was interested in experiencing general Indian life, so he wanted to stay at my place. However, since he had already booked the hotel for two nights, he planned to come to my home after that. During Navratri, I took him on a tour of Varanasi. My friends and I usually visit the pandals during the night, so I took Chris along. We spent the whole night exploring and returned home around 3 a.m.

After his two-night hotel stay, Chris came to stay at my place. He was interested in visiting a local church to buy old vestments and other items used by churches in Varanasi. We went to the cantonment church, which is only 15 years old. Chris wanted to meet the bishop, but he was not in Varanasi. Instead, we met his assistant, who informed us that they did not have any old items. He suggested churches in Mumbai, Goa, and South India as alternatives.

Chris stayed with me for 15 days, though he originally planned to stay only 10. He had to extend his stay because he fell ill. He mentioned that he had eaten a samosa from a street vendor and became very sick, suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches. I took him to a doctor, but his condition did not improve, so he requested to be admitted to a hospital. I took him to Heritage Hospital, where the doctors said it was not an emergency case and did not want to admit him. However, Chris insisted on staying.

The hospital charged Rs. 15,000 (about US $400) for the services. I was shocked at the high cost for treating diarrhea. Chris was admitted to a special ward for two days. The charges included Rs. 3,500 per day for the room, Rs. 600 for the doctor’s visit, and various other fees that seemed arbitrary. Although I had heard about the $100 handshake in US hospitals, I was surprised to find a similar system in my own town. I asked Lane about it, and he noted that it was still cheaper than Western hospitals.

One interesting aspect was that everyone in the hospital was eager to know if Chris had health insurance. When I asked the doctor why this was important, he explained that foreigners usually have insurance, and the hospital charges them extra if they do. This practice seemed illegal to me, but it was conducted openly, like many other illicit activities in India. They were not even embarrassed to admit it.

After two days, Chris was eager to leave. He complained that the nurses neglected him, didn’t change his drip, failed to provide medicine, and didn’t offer food. I spoke with the doctor, who insisted that Chris stay for at least two more days. However, Chris was determined to leave, so the doctor agreed to discharge him with a few medicines. Chris was relieved to return home and left for Mumbai on the 24th.

Dialysis in Varanasi

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An American student from Boston University, named Andrew, reached out to me regarding his friend Rinat from Uzbekistan, who requires dialysis treatment in India for six months. They had initially contacted Apollo Hospital in Delhi, but found it to be quite expensive and also noted that Delhi’s pollution made it an undesirable option. There were no available apartments near the hospital either. They inquired about dialysis services in Varanasi, and I directed them to Heritage Hospital in Varanasi by providing their email address. Andrew and Rinat contacted Heritage Hospital and discovered that they offer dialysis services for foreigners as well.

I visited Heritage Hospital to inquire about their services and charges. The costs were as follows: Rs. 2500 for the first dialysis, Rs. 1000 for a blood check-up (charged only once), Rs. 1700 for each of the next three dialysis sessions, and Rs. 2500 for the fifth session. This was significantly cheaper than Apollo Hospital, and Varanasi is less noisy and polluted compared to Delhi. Andrew then requested to rent my apartment for six months for Rinat. However, I had reservations about hosting someone who does not speak English and only speaks Russian.

I expressed my concern about the language barrier, but Andrew assured me that they would provide a translator for the first week. I was still concerned about the situation beyond that initial period. I asked about Rinat’s current health and learned that he has only one kidney and very low hemoglobin levels—one-third of the normal range. This situation was worrying, as Rinat’s condition seemed quite critical. They also requested that I contact the Indian Embassy in Tashkent to notify them that I would be hosting Rinat. I was uncomfortable with this, as it would make me responsible if anything went wrong with Rinat’s health.

To better understand the situation, I consulted friends in the US and Canada. While they knew people with only one kidney, they were also concerned about Rinat’s low hemoglobin levels. After discussing with my friends and family, I decided not to host Rinat due to the serious nature of his condition. However, I still wanted to assist Andrew and Rinat. I offered to help by finding a guest house for Rinat, accompanying him to the hospital, speaking with doctors, arranging food and other necessities, and showing them around. They agreed to this arrangement. I have requested them to fax me all of Rinat’s medical reports so that I can discuss his treatment with the doctors.

They want to hire me to assist Rinat throughout his stay. I will meet Rinat in Delhi and bring him to Varanasi. I’ve reached out to students at BHU to find a Russian-speaking student to serve as Rinat’s translator. Additionally, Andrew wants Rinat to learn Hindi while he is in Varanasi, so I have contacted Bhasha Bharti to inquire about a Russian-speaking Hindi teacher and am awaiting their reply. This is proving to be a challenging task, but I am committed to helping in any way I can.

Italian guest visits Aghori society

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I worked with an Italian named Giona Peduzzi, who initially contacted me through Couchsurfing to arrange a meeting for a drink. After a series of emails discussing his tour of India, he asked me to plan his visit to Varanasi. Giona lives in Rome and works for Channel 5, Italy’s largest private TV channel, as a show designer and writer for two Saturday night shows. Giona arrived in Varanasi on August 6th and stayed until August 9th. I arranged his accommodation at my guest house.

During his visit, we explored various sites including Mother Teresa’s Home, an Aghor monastery, Mathas (places where people reside while awaiting death), Sarnath, Tulsi Manas Temple, Sankat Mochan Temple (the monkey temple), BHU, Durga Temple (in Ram Nagar), and we also met Lali Baba. Giona was particularly impressed by the people he met. One memorable visit was to Machali Bandar Math, where we spoke with a Sadhu who had been residing there for over 30 years, waiting for his death. Giona was astonished by this dedication, though it was less surprising to me given my previous experiences working with Sophia, an anthropology student from the University of Berlin.

Lali Baba left a significant impression on Giona. He found Lali Baba to be the most fascinating character he had ever encountered, especially captivated by his elaborate attire for the evening Aarti, his garlands and skulls, and even seeing Lali Baba using a computer to chat. We also visited Mother Teresa’s Home. Although I have mixed feelings about going there—feeling both compelled to help but finding it emotionally challenging due to the many mentally and physically ill individuals—I still find it important to visit. I suggested providing a television for the patients’ entertainment, but the Nun declined, explaining that they had never used one before and preferred to maintain their current approach.

At the Aghor monastery, Giona was surprised by their Guinness World Record certificate for treating the most leprosy patients in the world. I have a great appreciation for this place and visit their hospital every time I am in town. Giona expressed interest in visiting Bodh Gaya for a day and then heading to Mumbai. He wanted to experience a film or TV serial shooting in Mumbai. I reached out to Yogesh, a production manager in Bollywood, who agreed to show Giona around Film City. I hope Giona enjoys his time in Mumbai with Yogesh.

I and Giona

Tawayaf culture in Varanasi

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An anthropology student from the University of Pittsburgh, USA, named Megan contacted me recently. She was referred by my friend Adam Sergent, an anthropology student from the University of Chicago, who had stayed at my guest house a month ago while learning Hindi in Varanasi. Megan is currently in her fourth year of research, focusing on Tawayaf culture, sex work, and HIV. Adam had mentioned my NGO to her, and she was interested in learning about my experiences working with these issues. I was intrigued by her interest in Tawayaf culture; while I had some knowledge about them, I hadn’t delved deeply into their world before.

This has sparked my curiosity, and I plan to research more about them. Megan mentioned that she was already collaborating with an NGO in Varanasi that works with sex workers but wanted to expand her contacts to other cities as well. I provided her with information about a few NGOs in Azamgarh and Mau that I am familiar with. She also requested a written document confirming her work with sex workers, Tawayafs, and HIV in Varanasi, which she needs to secure funding from her university. I will consult with my legal advisor to see if I can assist her with this request.

We had an extensive discussion about our respective experiences, and we’ve agreed to collaborate in the future. I’m looking forward to working together and supporting her important research.

AIDS survey in Mehdiganj, Varanasi

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Lok Samiti organized a group wedding for 30 couples in Mehdiganj, expecting over ten thousand attendees. I saw this as a great opportunity to kick off Sanjeevni Booti’s work. I discussed the plan with Lane, and we decided to conduct a survey on HIV awareness and distribute pamphlets about basic knowledge of AIDS. Lane prepared the content for the pamphlets and created questions for the survey. I had 2,000 pamphlets and 200 survey sheets printed.  I needed additional help with the survey, so I asked my friends Raju, Sonu, and Bablu—who are also members of Sanjeevni Booti. Sonu agreed immediately, but Raju and Bablu were initially busy with other work.

To encourage them to help, I offered them a day’s salary. Raju agreed to this offer, but Bablu did not. Lane covered all expenses, including the pamphlets, survey sheets, and travel costs. I also needed some female volunteers to survey other women, but I couldn’t find any.  I asked Nandlal if any of Lok Samiti’s female members could assist with surveying women for Sanjeevni Booti. Nandlal agreed to send two females, but unfortunately, they were occupied with wedding preparations when we arrived. As a result, we could not conduct surveys with any women.

We ended up surveying over 80 people and distributed 1,000 pamphlets. I was shocked by the villagers’ responses about AIDS. It seemed they had little understanding of the disease. Some believed AIDS could spread through the air, others thought it could result from having more than five sexual partners a day, and some thought it could be easily treated with medication. None of them were aware that AIDS could spread through shared razors or needles. When asked if any other NGOs had educated them about AIDS, none said yes, indicating they had not been informed by anyone with accurate knowledge. India has a high number of AIDS cases, and the rate is increasing rapidly due to changing sexual practices as the economy grows.

The rise in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is likely to continue. The government needs to take action to prevent this issue from escalating further. Given that Indians are generally open to new ideas and the use of condoms has not been a major issue, we can control the spread of this disease with proper education. Lane compiled the survey results into a report, which was published on Sanjeevni Booti’s website.