It's hard to believe, but the India Field Seminar is upon us. I truly can't fathom the experiences we are going to have over the next 2+ weeks traveling around 3 of India's largest cities (New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore), but I also wouldn't want to know ahead of time. Where's the adventure in that?
So, along with many of you, I will be boarding a 14 hour flight to New Delhi tomorrow evening and landing in a world not many of us have much experience with. I'm not necessarily talking about the culture and food here, but all of the simple things that we might take for granted. I think I've read and been told enough times not to even think about eating or drinking anything that might have come in contact with the most minuscule amount of tap water. Talk about making someone paranoid, but I couldn't imagine not being able to fill up a glass of water at the closest sink, (and it's not something Brita can take care of)!
But what about the big reason we're all going? We are meeting with some of the most notable figures in India who are trying to figure out how to deliver affordable health care to a population 4 times larger than the US, with far fewer resources. By visiting businesses ranging from medical education, to technology innovation, to biopharma, we are going to come face-to-face with the many health challenges India is up against on a daily basis. We might complain about health care reform and how much our insurance premiums are going up every year, but at least I was able to walk up to the Target pharmacy yesterday and pick up my anti-malaria medication. Last I checked, we don't live under the threat of this disease like a few hundred million people do in India, and I'm sure it's not quite as easy for most of them.
That's all my thoughts for now, but I hope to have a lot more to share as we venture around the country. I'm sure I'll be one of those students who report this trip completely changed their perspective on health care, no less the world, but isn't that why we're going in the first place? See you all in Delhi!
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