Asian Medical Student's Exchange Program - India × Indonesia 2020

Asian Medical Student's Exchange Program - India × Indonesia 2020  at Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences

Report day 2

The second day of the AMSEP India × Indonesia was very eventful. There was a welcome address in the august presence of Dr Ashish Anjankar, Director Student welfare JNMC and Dr. Pramita Muntode, Associate professor dept of psm for the students in JNMC where they exchanged a few snippets of information about the two countries. The Indonesians were extremely interactive and were curious to learn about the Indian medical education system. They started with introducing each student and felicitating them with a little token of appreciation: A custom printed AMSEP t-shirt, a custom water bottle, a momento consisting of a miniature Gandhian charkha amongst other things. Then they moved onto a presentation of their own and one by the exchange students followed by an interactive session where our team spoke with the delegates and learned about their culture and their life as medicos along with sharing their own stories. 

The students had brought their representative snack items like a ginger candy, soya chips and flour covered peanuts which they really enjoyed tasting. They also presented our teachers with their traditional shawls. 

Next the students visited the IVF lab along with our AMSA representatives where they learned about the various ART techniques along with telling us representatives about Indonesian advancements in the field. 

In the evening they had a very fun cultural session where they indulged the students in Rangoli making and Diya decorating. To top it all of, they were taught a few of our signature dance moves in return of which they taught them some of theirs too, and this was followed by a pizza and dessert feast at Domino’s! 

All in all, it was a very educational and interactive experience for all of them.

Report day 3

On day 3, after a hearty breakfast, the delegates and the volunteers headed towards a Primary Healthcare Center in Nachengaon, where they met Dr. Shridhar Tamhankar, a medical officer posted there. He, very kindly, showed them around the place explaining about the infrastructure and the medical equipment present in the PHC. He described the various investigations that went on, such as calculation of the Total Leucocyte Count (TLC), blood haemoglobin % etc. He showed them the stored vaccines and explained how they were preserved with careful temperature regulation. Then, he went on to ask the delegates about their countries' government policies regarding vaccines programs and explained our laws regarding the same. He went on to list the compulsorily administered vaccines to a newborn and shared information about how the PHC worked under government aid and how it provides to nearly 40,000 villagers. The group returned enriched with knowledge from sevagram. 

Next, they went on to the Gandhi ashram in sevagram where our delegates could have a firsthand experience of the simplicity and purity of a gandhian lifestyle. The guide there took them to the various kutis (cottages) made for Gandhiji and his contemporaries explaining their lifestyle and the history behind their stay in sevagram. The display of the original articles preserved from the time of gandhiji's residence in Bapu kuti left them in awe and wonder. Next, they had a short visit to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa- a buddhist temple. The magnificent white peace pagoda along with the golden Buddha statue made the delegates deeply appreciate the architectural wonder. There was also a small Japanese Buddhist temple and a large park in the premises. 

In the second half of the day the students were taken to Nagpur for a recreational visit to Chokar dhani. Over there, the delegates got to experience the essence of Rajasthani culture. They took camel and horse rides, went on carousels, played games, danced to rajasthani folk music, and watched various performances by trained artists. They also got to make clay pots which were later gifted to them. Towards the end, they had a splendid rajasthani meal consisting of many traditional dishes from the state leaving all of them extremely happy amd satisfied.