Sarigam Hospital, India

In early 2017, members of the Waimate Rotary Club traveled to the Sarigam Hospital in India. The purpose of the journey was to visit the Hospital where funds had been raised for a fully equipped laboratory and state-of-the-art X-ray machine.
Along the way, further memories were made and Rotary friendships were forged...

 

Some years ago, Ryan Luckman (currently Waimate's President Elect) was part of the GSE (Group Study Exchange) to India. During his time there, Ryan built up a friendship with Dr Ashish Arekar of the Sarigam Rotary Club. After returning from the GSE, Ryan joined the Waimate Rotary Club and later approached Dr Ashish regarding whether Rotary could assist in a project. The end result was a joint grant from Waimate Rotary, District 9980, Rotary Clubs in Vapi and Sarigam and the Rotary Foundation which came to in excess of $US80,000 being put into this most valuable project at the Sarigam Hospital.

The project was to fully equip the laboratory and purchase a state of the art x-ray machine.

In February 2017 members of the Waimate, Timaru and Balclutha Rotary Club’s travelled to India to visit the Sarigam Hospital, which serve's people in a radius of 40 kilometres. 

Travel in India was a whole new experience, from hand carts, horse drawn carts, tuk-tuks, cars, overnight sleeper trains, and buses. A novelty for New Zealanders was the night (14 hours) spent on the train traveling from New Delhi to Vapi. The buses had a driver and a trainee who was the guide and scout for anything that was needed. The traffic keeps on moving, and all spaces on the road are used. Bikes and scooters are in the space between bigger vehicles, and the constant blaring of horns tells drivers where other vehicles are. Trace smog was not an issue as most vehicles run on CNG.

The Rotary Club of Sarigam hosted the group for a week, showing them their community, and visiting various projects they have supported. Hospitality was very generous and is generally shown by providing food in abundance. A visit out into the Tribal area, over indifferent roads, was to see a dormitory built to house 80 girls during term so that they may attend school. The Rotary Club of Vapi had built the dormitory and individual members sponsored a child, by paying the costs of food, books and uniform.

After attending three Rotary meetings, visiting two hospitals, two schools, plastic factories and many temples the insight to life in India was well satisfied. One temple, while catering for religious needs, also cater for 20,000 meals each day. They were very proud of their kitchens and invited visitors to look around.

Two homes were opened to the group for meals, an evening meal in Delhi and a breakfast in Vapi. Otherwise meals were eaten in restaurants, and with careful choices and small portions the spicy food was well received.

After a farewell and final moments of ‘building memories’ a shorter train ride saw the group arrive in Mumbai. With two days spare before the trip back to New Zealand, a bus was arranged to show them the sights, with some shopping and a visit to the markets.