Life in Kurnool

Dust, doctors, and donkeys. These are the three D’s that Kurnool is famous for, and one of the first things Dr. Deepesh Vendoti told us about the city when we arrived there late one night. They serve as an apt description that essentially sums up everything about Kurnool, as there is no shortage of any of these around this town! Life here is slow – it’s the sort of place where all stores must legally close at 11 pm, rickshaws have routes like buses do, and “city girls” like us can be spotted immediately. Even though our first two weeks have consisted of us frantically trying to balance beginning work with learning everything about our new surroundings, we’ve somehow managed to settle in, get our bearings, and understand the big role this project will play in this small city.

Our education on the state of health affairs in Kurnool began almost immediately upon our arrival. One would think that a place with a regionally famous medical college would have first-rate healthcare to match, but this is not the case here. In fact, right before our first visit to a government hospital, we were quietly told that if we had any health issues of our own, we were absolutely not to go to that hospital for help – that we should seek one of Deepesh’s doctor friends instead. At the time, we didn’t realize why…until we actually got there and had to step over a sleeping pig to enter through the dilapidated maternity ward. Our shock didn’t end there – as we waited in the pediatric ward to meet with a faculty member, Nadia and I found it difficult to avoid looking back at the eerily quiet children on rickety cots, attached to faded IVs, who never once took their eyes off of us while we were there...