WHILE doctors remain the face of healthcare, a large team of experts provide the support services that make healing possible. Some of them, like a physiotherapist is more visible whereas some, like a pathologist or a radiographer, work off the centerstage. We spoke to two such professionals, one from physiotherapy, a popular field and one from an emerging area, audiometry. But both are united in their concern on mitigating the suffering.
Sudipta Kishore Barick, 29.jpg)
Audiologist, Dept. of Clinical Rehabilitation, Tawam Hospital. Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Bachelor’s in Speech, Language and Hearing,
Dr. M. V. Shetty College of Speech and Hearing, Mangalore, 2004
Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore, 2006
SUDIPTA'S day starts with accessing intranet and identifying new born babies to screen them for hearing. As per the protocol of universal hearing screening, the lists of babies are made and then the daily OB (Obstetrics/Gynaecology) rounds are done. The parents are told about the relation between normal hearing and the normal speech & language development. “But some parents show little interest, so it becomes difficult to carry out the hearing screening procedure,” says Sudipta. He has also witnessed distressed parents of children diagnosed with hearing loss and their difficulty in accepting the painful truth.
After completing his OB round, Sudipta moves to the speciality clinic which houses mostly out-patients. “This clinic, which is for all age groups, follows differential diagnosis of hearing system and adopts different test protocol for different age groups,” he explains.
Work took this 29-year-old Orissa boy to Mangalore first, then Mysore and finally landed him in Abu Dhabi three years back. On a regular basis, Sudipta sees children with middle ear infection, old age hearing loss (presbycusis), ringing sound in the ear (tinnitus) and patients with history of dizziness. Sometimes children with congenital hearing problem, people with history of noise exposure, oncology patient for radio-therapy (for pre and post therapy) hearing assessment, also come for treatment. “The greatest learning for me has been to develop respect for culturally different people,” he admits. His dream is to open a clinic and a rehabilitation centre in India.
It was during his Class 12 days that Sudipta wanted to do something for the people with hearing impairment. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he came across an article in a local news paper. “And I gained specialisation in the field of hearing science, audiology,” he says. Dealing with children and geriatric people requires lots of patience, he has learnt. So does attending to 12 to 14 babies per day for hearing screening. This is in addition to 15-20 patients in the speciality clinic. What cheers him up is the satisfaction with which patients leave the clinic.In a private hospital in UAE, an audiologist can draw salary anywhere between Rs. 55,000 to 65,000 per month. To get work in an international hospital in UAE, one needs at least two years of work experience and a licence to practice there.
His advice to youngsters aspiring to make a career in this field is to refine skills in counselling and learning to handle patients with affection. People accept eye-glasses much easily in comparison to accepting hearing aids for hearing loss, he observes.
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Mukul Chaudhary, 28
Physiotherapist at Bajaj Speciality Clinic, New Delhi
Master’s in Physiotherapy (M.P.T Cardiopulmonary),
Faridabad Institute of Technology, Delhi/NCR,2008
Bachelor’s in Physiotherapy (B.P.T), Dr. M. V. Shetty College of Physiotherapy, Mangalore,’2006
JUST a few weeks back, a keen Israeli footballer, post surgery, came to Mukul to get his ligament injury treated. An impatient youngster, he probed Mukul to know if his normal condition was restorable. If the answer was negative, he wanted to switch to another sport, pool, immediately. “When patients don’t comply with the prescribed Rehab Programme, then the desired recovery is impossible,” says Mukul, a Cardio-Pulmonary specialist, implying that in most cases the recovery depends on the patient and not the physiotherapist.
Besides being a practitioner in this profession, Mukul also has to don the hat of a motivator and a patient listener. One discovers that these qualities are the hallmark of a good physiotherapist, who has to attend to agitated old patients and other anxious lots.
Some days Mukul ends up attending to 10 or more patients in his four-hour shift. Depending on the complexity of an injury, time spent per patient can stretch from thirty minutes to one- and-a-half hours, per session. “This is physical therapy, so one has to be hands on with the patient,” says Mukul who joined the Bajaj Clinic in South Delhi, just six months back. The clinic has a reputation of providing excellent treatment to sports-related injuries and is frequented by cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murli Karthik and other national and international sports stars, besides other esteemed patients.
Articulating on a physio’s role, Mukul says that the involvement with a patient begins from demonstrating to him/her the correct way to exercise, then gradually distancing, switching over to monitoring, and finally weaning off. “The recovery rate of a sportsperson is faster in comparison to a person who maintains a sedentary lifestyle,” he declares. A former lecturer at
CCS University, Meerut, Mukul says that during morning hours (his clinic timings are 4 p.m-8 p.m), he makes house calls. House calls are for patients who are advised bed-rest post surgery, for geriatric patients or patients with neurological problems. “Or for those who can’t come for a session at regular clinic hours.”
The private visits can either be commissioned by the clinic or can be a freelance undertaking. Mukul explains the industry norms. One–on-one visits are expensive and can range anywhere from Rs. 400-1000 per session.
While he treats ailing patients, he points out what ails his industry. Low wages. Mukul candidly says that admissions are dwindling in colleges. A postgraduate can get anywhere between Rs. 12,000-15,000 at entry level, whereas a Bachlor's in Phsyiotherapy draws Rs. 5,000- 8,000. Private hospitals/clinics usually give meagre salaries. “The government pay scale ranges between Rs. 17,000-Rs 35,000 for M.P.Ts,” Mukul shares. But in the absence of a governing council, private medical institutions have a say in determining salary bars. A physio plays a significant role right from a patient getting admitted, to his surgery, and post discharge. “They are part of the core surgeon’s team, one who is present during surgeries,” Mukul emphasises.
A student of Blue Bells School, Delhi, Mukul couldn’t clear PMT. While he was contemplating his career, a chance encounter with a friend led him to this profession. Today, he is happy with the destiny’s turn and literally relieves pain from the lives of people. His therapeutic touch and winsome smile does the magic. The charm has worked for the Israeli footballer, who adhered to Mukul’s prescription, and would be returning to the field in six months.