Two months ago my wife was in India, checking in on projects her organization provides funding and support for. She was also in Tsunami country; at some point (post-Katrina) I'll pass along a couple of stories she came home with.
Journalist Lorna Dueck tagged along for part of this journey, and wrote a Globe & Mail column she dubbed A war for the soul of India's hospitals. She writes, "If we help save the dying missionary hospitals of the Third World, we'll also learn much about the pitfalls of for-profit health care."
The piece is provocative and compassionate. I think it gives the reader some workable ideas about what can be done to make the world a better place. It also gives the reader an idea of what my wife's job is about.
Finally got around to printing out the article. Disturbing (India's govt health care covering only 17% of all India's expenditures. I had thought India had universal health care?), Inventive ('Robin Hood' hospital administration policy), Confusing (India's tiny Christian population supplying 1/5 of all the hospital beds and the best medical schools? What's with the majority Hindu population?), Inspiring (Dr. Abraham Ninan spending 6 months in Canada and then 6 months in India each year), and, finally, Admirable (Your wife navigatng in and out of all of this confusion and depressing human condition).
ReplyDeleteBeing the Candaian she is, I'm sure your wife, while taking on this arduous work and succeeding, is humble about all of her accomplishments. It's good that you're taking on the PR portfolio for her work. She deserves it.
Thanks, Darko. Thanks also for an excellent summary. In fact I might just cut, paste, and add that to this posting.
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