For those who have not met him, Dr. Pargat Bhurji is a pediatrician at Children's Hospital BC and a frequent and generous volunteer with Rose Charities. Dr. Bhurji and RN Kirby Pirckard recently arrived in Port au Prince with the latest Rose emergecy aid mission. Dr. Bhurji has just sent back this brief, touching message.
I am fortunate to be on this mission. A lot of work needs to be done, Sick, tiny dehydrated babies are at the top of the list. When I first arrived I worked with a French pediatrician, setting up tents for pediatric and neonatal care. Every day we get more than 10 admissions plus over 100 outpatients. Despite lack of proper resources, medication and equipment we are able to help.
On my birthday I saw a 32 week old boy whose parents wanted to name Pargat! After many tries to pronounce it in Creole we settled on calling him Peter. It was the best birthday gift ever.
I am glad that God gave me this oppotunity to serve.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Letter from Haiti
The following is a message from one of our volunteer nurses in Haiti: "Its sad here but intensely beautiful even with all the destruction and poverty. They have beautiful landscape and people. I feel like what I’m doing here isn’t enough... I had a woman who told me she had been pregnant for 12 months...I was so busy, I assumed a doc would look into it but I don’t think one had the chance. Supposedly women often have horrible fibroids in their uterus or ovaries or something and so they think they’re pregnant. It’s so disorganized, bad writing everywhere...not enough pain meds...education not getting through to patients but of course wonderful things happening too. It’s more medical poverty issues and not so much trauma but i do have some ortho patients and an amputation. Yesterday I took care of a mother and baby and the mother was hiv positive but wasn’t telling anyone. The baby was 22 days old and only weighed 5lbs which would be a birth weight even to be concerned about. So mother hadn’t breastfed understandably and a lot of the mothers here over dilute their formula as a way of rationing. The little guy was malnourished and dehydrated but such a trooper. I fed him and held him lots and made sure the mother was ok with that. I’m getting more and more patients each day and a ton of the group is leaving so I’ll probably end up having 12 of my own patients in the next couple of days. No idea how I am supposed to help anyone when it’s like that but I am trying.
Our usual day is we wake up in the morning around 6am, have breakfast at 7, take an hour-long bus ride to the hospital. Then I took at the pieces of paper next to the patients and try to figure out what I can do for them. It’s mostly antibiotics, pain meds, and then giving meds in a ziploc bag to patients and family and giving them instructions on when to give stuff. They’re great about it. We get off at around 5pm so not super long but we don’t take days off unless we are sick. We take the bus home and we wear masks cuz of all the fires and dust. It’s good because then I can have a bit of a cry and no one notices.
The other people I am working with are fantastic. We have 5 GPs, 3 surgeons, 10 nurses and other randoms. I’m one of the only non Haitians here. They thank us for coming seeing as how we have no ties to the community but I don’t really see it like that. We are all people."
Our usual day is we wake up in the morning around 6am, have breakfast at 7, take an hour-long bus ride to the hospital. Then I took at the pieces of paper next to the patients and try to figure out what I can do for them. It’s mostly antibiotics, pain meds, and then giving meds in a ziploc bag to patients and family and giving them instructions on when to give stuff. They’re great about it. We get off at around 5pm so not super long but we don’t take days off unless we are sick. We take the bus home and we wear masks cuz of all the fires and dust. It’s good because then I can have a bit of a cry and no one notices.
The other people I am working with are fantastic. We have 5 GPs, 3 surgeons, 10 nurses and other randoms. I’m one of the only non Haitians here. They thank us for coming seeing as how we have no ties to the community but I don’t really see it like that. We are all people."
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sikh generosity - material and of spirit
Rose Charities, working with AMDA was thus able to get medical teams in place rapidly. The Sikh community in B.C., Washington State and other areas collected around 5 millon dollars. Much of this was given to M.S.F for its excellent work but Rose Charities also benefited from its generosity with several tens of thousands. By supporting the smaller scale though rapid and efficient efforts of Rose Charities (which has no administration costs) as well as larger groups, the Sikh community demonstrated an excellently balanced approach. Many people considered that a more proportionate response from donors to a be more inclusive of the smaller, more rapidly effective organizations would have increased overall rapidity and efficiency of relief efforts, but these organizations tend to find it hard to compete with the well financed publicity units of the larger organizations which tend to have the resources to rapidly monopolize the attention of the media. In its donations to Rose Charities the Sikh community also patriotically supported a Vancouver born and run organization, and one which has assisted in almost all major disasters of recent years (Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Myanmar typhoon, Sichuan etc) and many minor ones (Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia etc etc) .
Dr Pargat Singh Bhurji a pediatrics Consultant at the B.C’s Childrens Hospital was in addition one of the first to volunteer with Rose for Haiti disaster relief. At this time, Dr Bhurji is in Port-au-prince working in a tent-pediatric unit which they have helped to set up. In 2005, Dr Bhurji was leader of the 4th Rose Charities medical relief team to Kalmunai, Sri Lanka.
The organizers of Rose Charities Canada are touched and honored to have been in receipt of such generosity by the Sikh Community and want to express their very considerable gratitude. Dr Pargat Bhurji will, on his return be central in orchestrating the continuing medical aid efforts for Haiti which will be greatly assisted by the Sikh Community donations.
The Organizations below were especially generous in their donations. These came from their congregations often from persons who do not themselves earn very highly. In addition, many individuals handed donations directly to Dr Bhurji or Rose Charities personnel. One of very many similar examples of the incredible generosity was truck driver, who gave half his months salary in cash - some $1000 with the words ‘the people of Haiti need it more than me’
Of special mention here for generosity are
Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Temple, Delta
Khlasa Diwan Temple Abbotsford Surrey
Mission Gur Sikh Society
Thank you !
Thursday, January 7, 2010
On palliative care - by Dr Jessica Otte
Excerpt from Dr Jessica Otte’s amazing blog writings http://drottematic.wordpress.com
(Rose Charities Cambodia was privilaged that Jessica elective’d there in 2009)
"I am not an expert in palliative care, but hopefully by the end of my rotation, I will have deeper insight. In my present understanding, palliation involves treating all aspects of a person’s ‘unrest’; physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, relationship, and other concerns are what we can help the terminally ill work through. Our focus is not on curing the disease. A team involving doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, spiritual leaders, family, friends, counsellors, and outreach/community care aides, has the patient at its centre; together, we work to come up with a plan. There are some common aspects to these plans:
· Worldly: getting affairs in order (i.e. making amends, assigning power of attorney etc.); filling out the Palliative Drug Benefits plan
· Spiritual: reconnecting or gaining strength from faith, perhaps by speaking on a regular basis with a minister, rabbi, or the hospital chaplain
· Symptoms: being free from pain or uncomfortable symptoms; bone pain, nausea, trouble breathing due to fluid on the lungs (pulmonary edema) are some pretty common issues with many terminal illnesses, like metastatic cancer; care may also involve consulting appropriate specialists to see if they can be of service (eg. would the patient benefit from a surgical debulking of their tumour
· Living Will: deciding what to do if things get worse: exploring whether the patient could benefit from an attempt at resuscitation or whether a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order should be signed; drawing the line for other interventions (eg. refusing a ventilator for ALS/Lou-Gerig’s disease); figuring out who will serve as a proxy decision maker should the ill patient be unable to do this herself
· Dying: making a plan around dying – would they prefer to be cared for at home or in hospital?; exploring how much intervention would be desired (eg. if a cancer patients happens to contract an infection in hospital, should we treat the infection or not, with the possibility being that they succumb to the infection before the cancer)
· After death: making a plan for after death – funeral arrangements, finalizing a will, etc. which is an important way of sparing the surviving family from decision-making in the most difficult of times
End-of-life planning and sorting out these issues may be a practical and necessary part of the job, however, much of our efforts are centred around helping someone enjoy their remaining time with their loved ones, and to aid them in the process of confronting death. I have never been terminally ill, so I do not know exactly what it would be like. I cannot sympathize, but I can empathize. I can imagine how it could be difficult and frightening for some, and welcome or calming for others. I understand the manifestations of grief, how different they are from person-to-person, and can help someone to recognize that their feelings are normal. I cannot take away their feelings but maybe I can help them be more comfortable with having them. There is no pill for uncertainty or regret, but re-framing thoughts can offer a way to cope.
I can sympathize with those losing a loved one, as I have already been in those shoes. This is one time in medicine where sharing my personal experience may benefit my patients (or their families). I remember the first time I had to tell someone they were dying – she handled it better than I did! Since my preceptor made me do this on my own, I tried using some ideas from the SPIKES mnemonic to deliver the bad news. They may be a great start, but one can never go wrong “doing onto others as you would have them do unto you” in those circumstances. If they really don’t like something you are doing or saying, they’ll tell you to stop!
Let’s see in a month, after formally experiencing the field of Palliative Care, how different my ideas are about it. It feels wrong to say that I’m looking forward to it, but there is great capacity for helping people in a tangible way, and much learning for me to do." Dr Jessica Otte
(Rose Charities Cambodia was privilaged that Jessica elective’d there in 2009)
"I am not an expert in palliative care, but hopefully by the end of my rotation, I will have deeper insight. In my present understanding, palliation involves treating all aspects of a person’s ‘unrest’; physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, relationship, and other concerns are what we can help the terminally ill work through. Our focus is not on curing the disease. A team involving doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, spiritual leaders, family, friends, counsellors, and outreach/community care aides, has the patient at its centre; together, we work to come up with a plan. There are some common aspects to these plans:
· Worldly: getting affairs in order (i.e. making amends, assigning power of attorney etc.); filling out the Palliative Drug Benefits plan
· Spiritual: reconnecting or gaining strength from faith, perhaps by speaking on a regular basis with a minister, rabbi, or the hospital chaplain
· Symptoms: being free from pain or uncomfortable symptoms; bone pain, nausea, trouble breathing due to fluid on the lungs (pulmonary edema) are some pretty common issues with many terminal illnesses, like metastatic cancer; care may also involve consulting appropriate specialists to see if they can be of service (eg. would the patient benefit from a surgical debulking of their tumour
· Living Will: deciding what to do if things get worse: exploring whether the patient could benefit from an attempt at resuscitation or whether a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order should be signed; drawing the line for other interventions (eg. refusing a ventilator for ALS/Lou-Gerig’s disease); figuring out who will serve as a proxy decision maker should the ill patient be unable to do this herself
· Dying: making a plan around dying – would they prefer to be cared for at home or in hospital?; exploring how much intervention would be desired (eg. if a cancer patients happens to contract an infection in hospital, should we treat the infection or not, with the possibility being that they succumb to the infection before the cancer)
· After death: making a plan for after death – funeral arrangements, finalizing a will, etc. which is an important way of sparing the surviving family from decision-making in the most difficult of times
End-of-life planning and sorting out these issues may be a practical and necessary part of the job, however, much of our efforts are centred around helping someone enjoy their remaining time with their loved ones, and to aid them in the process of confronting death. I have never been terminally ill, so I do not know exactly what it would be like. I cannot sympathize, but I can empathize. I can imagine how it could be difficult and frightening for some, and welcome or calming for others. I understand the manifestations of grief, how different they are from person-to-person, and can help someone to recognize that their feelings are normal. I cannot take away their feelings but maybe I can help them be more comfortable with having them. There is no pill for uncertainty or regret, but re-framing thoughts can offer a way to cope.
I can sympathize with those losing a loved one, as I have already been in those shoes. This is one time in medicine where sharing my personal experience may benefit my patients (or their families). I remember the first time I had to tell someone they were dying – she handled it better than I did! Since my preceptor made me do this on my own, I tried using some ideas from the SPIKES mnemonic to deliver the bad news. They may be a great start, but one can never go wrong “doing onto others as you would have them do unto you” in those circumstances. If they really don’t like something you are doing or saying, they’ll tell you to stop!
Let’s see in a month, after formally experiencing the field of Palliative Care, how different my ideas are about it. It feels wrong to say that I’m looking forward to it, but there is great capacity for helping people in a tangible way, and much learning for me to do." Dr Jessica Otte
Friday, January 1, 2010
Asian Tsunami Boxing day 2004. Message to Rose Charities Sri Lanka from Rose International Chair
HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS on the occasion of your Center's 5th Anniversary Celebrations. IT is also to
commemorate the 5th Anniversary of Kalmunai Sri Lanka Medical,Psychological.Social Support Group for child survivors of the 2004
Tsunami tragedy.
Anniversaries offer the opportunity to reflect upon where we have been and where we are doing. Since your Center's inception,the dedicated
and loyal volunteers of ROSE CHARITIES SRI LANKA have worked together as a team to improve the lives of individuals in your community and
around Sri Lanka .
Your commitment to providing quality service has given our international global village of ROSE CHARITIES VOLUNTEERS distinguished
reputation and is a prime example of what has kept Rose Charities International running for more than 10 years .
AS we celebrate our achievements, we will continue to look to the future for opportunities to improve and
expand our community based service projects and activities .
I am sure that you will continue to encourage membership growth and retention of volunteers and to develop
leadership skills amongst your volunteers .
CARRYING on the Rose Charities tradition of humanitarian service to the community with quality center
volunteers is testament to your commitment to our motto- PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE .
I am confident under the dynamic and exemplary leadership of your CEO Anthony Richard and his team of faithful ,dedicated and committed band of volunteers,your Center will have another GREAT YEAR of
humantarian service to the community in which we live in .
DECEMBER 26 2004 is a day of solemn prayers and remembrance of Tsunami victims as Asia including
SRI LANKA marked the 5th Anniversary of one of history's worst national disasters when an underground
earthquake unleashed a devastating wave that killed more than 220,000 people in 13 countries .
AN estimated 31,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka while a million were driven out of their homes .
WE pause to pay our tribute of love, affection and respect to the memory of all those who died in the
tragedy .
WORDS are futile at a time like this to assuage the anguish of families and friends of victims . We can only
bow our heads and say to ourselves :
IS THERE BEYOND THE SILENT NIGHT AN ENDLESS DAY ?
IS DEATH A DOOR THAT LEADS TO LIGHT ?
WE CANNOT SAY, THE TONGUELESS SECRET LOCKED IN FATE
WE CANNOT KNOW, WE WATCH AND WAIT .'
MAY the families of victims derive some measure of comfort in the knowledge that we share their
grief
Lawrence Cheah. Chair. Rose Charities International
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
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