Dharavi

During our trip in Mumbai, we visited Sion Hospital where we were briefed on their Urban Health Center. The center serves the people of Dharavi - a slum in the heart of Mumbai. We also had the fortune of touring Dharavi to see the conditions of the slum and the people the clinic serves. Although Dharavi is home to a middle class, we only saw extreme poverty. The slum was dirty, unsanitary, overcrowded and there was a lack of clean water. One of the larger homes we saw was a 300-400 sq ft loft that housed a family of at least 6.

Despite the deplorable living conditions, Dharavi is a self sufficient community. Most people make their sole income from the various industries that were set up in the slum such as recycling, pottery, and textiles. We only witnessed the pottery trade, but it was amazing to see how much they could produce and how they could sustain themselves with so little. However, the success of the pottery industry comes at a cost to the community. The kiln sits directly underneath multiple homes and emits toxic smoke into them, further polluting the slum environment.

UHC provides a multitude of services to the community such as an advanced maternal health clinic, STI clinic for men, cancer screening, and they are even making their own version of plumpy'nut to curb malnutrition. I spoke to a doctor at the Urban Health Center and she said that all outreach services are provided for free and medical services cost only 10 rupees (about US $0.20). Medical services include all meds and the ability to use the clinic for 15 days. The government subsidizes the costs since Sion is a public hospital. Regardless, it was surprising to learn that the government covers such a large portion of Dharavi's healthcare costs since so much of India's healthcare is paid for out of pocket. The programs are promising, yet I worry about its funding. Knowing how corrupt the Indian government is, I wouldn't be surprised if corners were cut in the development of the clinic and the services provided. It's a pessimistic view, but often the case in this country.