Throughout the week
of Autumn break 5 students from Oakridge International School journeyed through
the fascinating world of medicine via Apollo Health City. From Tuesday to
Friday the students learned and grew through the amazing staff that resides in the
hospital. ‘Touching Lives,’ the motto of the Apollo Hospitals group was and is
truly embodied through each and every person that assisted us throughout the
internship.
Day 1: As the sun slowly rose over
Hyderabad’s misty horizon, we set off on our way to experience medicine through
the eyes of a health care professional. Starting off in the Oncology
department, we luckily met Ms. Maheshwari (the director of the department), who
proceeded to help us throughout the internship. In Oncology we learned about
specific procedures used to treat cancer, such as chemotherapy. We even met
several patients who were suffering with various forms of cancer such as mouth
and lung cancer. After spending several hours in the Oncology department, we
had lunch at the brilliant ‘Garden Café’ (a restaurant nestled within the
enormous campus). In the afternoon we paid a visit to ‘The Cradle’ otherwise
known as the Maternity Ward. We got to see newborn babies and learned about the
procedures surrounding a delivery. We rounded off our day in the Cardiology department.
Where we were fortunate enough to head into the Cath Lab as well as the Cardiac
I.C.U. , in which we saw many patients with heart ailments.
Day 2: We were invited by Mr.Balraj, the head of operations to pay a visit
to the Cath lab to view an Angioplasty and an Angiogram, procedures relating to
heart blockages. Afterwards we were prompted to visit Dr. Jairam Pingle (Head
of Orthopedic Surgery) here he showed us several scans and thoroughly explained
how and orthopedic surgeon diagnoses a patient and decides the treatment. He
even let us sit on a few consultations. He was enthusiastic and he gifted us
with the opportunity to learn about some of his most critical and exciting
cases, such as osteosarcomas (bone tumors). After lunch, we headed on down to a
completely different world of medicine, the emergency room. The ER was one of
the most interesting , intriguing, and tense locations in the entire hospital.
We watched as doctors battled to save patients’ lives while racing against
time. We were guided by Dr. Deepak, who explained each case in depth.
Day 3: After racing back to the ER to ‘check up on our patients’, we drifted
to the Neurology I.C.U., where we learned that medicine doesn’t always have
positive outcomes. We learned about
multiple patients and how recklessness is truly the bane of humanity. After a
dose of reality we broke for lunch. Afterwards we descended into the eye-opening
world of Ophthalmology, where we stared
in awe at the latest technological advancements in medicine, which impressed us
in unimaginable ways, followed by a group session with a Dr.Sudhakar, the head
of plastic surgery. We were amazed by his ability as a surgeon, as he told us
about his long and fascinating history in the field of cosmetic surgery.
Day 4: In the morning we were directed into the pediatric ward, where we
were briefed on child heart disease. The knowledge that we acquired was applied
in understanding the cases contained in the Pediatric I.C.U. We enjoyed a long lunch break, savoring the
last day of our internship and discussing what we had learned/seen. We talked
to a gynecologist who told us about the modern gynecological problems. She
helped understand that gynecology is not just about delivering babies. We were
very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit an Operating Theater (OT). An
experience not many can speak about. Before we entered the sterile region of
the OT we had to change into scrubs. We saw the workings of the OT and the
‘srubbing in’ procedure. For a few moments we truly felt like surgeons! We
brought our internship to a close in a meeting with the founder of Apollo,
Dr.Prathap Reddy. He told us about healthcare, it future and gave us some words
of wisdom regarding our own futures. This was the cherry on top of the cake!
We were blessed to
meet world-class doctors and reach a decision on our future careers. And as we
look towards our futures in the medical field we will remember the internship
that inspired us. This memory will be
cherished forevermore.
-Reflections by Monish
Yarlagadda and Abhram, X H
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