February 14, 2007

Sambhavna Trust Clinic, Bhopal needs socially committed physicians and a Medical Researcher

The Sambhavna Trust is a registered public charitable trust in Bhopal set up in June 1995. Its primary objective is the welfare of the victims of the Union Carbide gas leak disaster and of those affected currently by toxic contamination of ground-water from the factory chemical wastes. The Sambhavna Clinic provides medical care and health education alongside of systematic documentation and sustained research activities. The eight trustees, concerned with the medical and social effects since the disaster, are from the fields of science and medical research, journalism and activism. A five-member International Advisory Group also provides support to the Trust.
The Sambhavna Clinic, situated in the midst of the severely affected communities, has served more than 18,000 chronically ill survivors, offering health care options of modern medicine, ayurveda and yoga. The Clinic's medical research addresses the need to monitor the long term effects of the disaster, the treatment efficacies, and exposure-related deaths. Through community surveys and health education exercises, collection and public dissemination of information, and occasional public dialogue programmes, Sambhavna stays in active touch with the people of Bhopal, especially with the survivors. For its path-breaking medical work in a chemically exposed population, the Trust has received national and international awards.
The funds required to run the Sambhavna Trust Clinic come from the collected donations of individual persons in India, UK, USA and other countries.
Sambhavna offers opportunities to engage in socially beneficial and meaningful work in a participatory and non-hierarchical work environment. Each one functions within a team of committed and competent medical, para-medical and social workers, and researchers. With basic laboratory and documentation facilities, there is encouragement to pursue research activities and to publish the findings. Additional to a starting salary of Rs.10,000 per month is a non-practicing allowance (NPA) of Rs.5000 per month, plus conveyance allowance if applicable. Salaries of all staff including newly joining doctors will be due for upward revision in September 2007. The total paid leave entitlement is for up to 38 days in a year.
Descriptions for four positions open for physicians/researchers are attached.
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Reply as soon as possible, latest by 28th February 2007, to:
Managing Trustee, Sambhavna, Bafna Colony, Berasia Road, Bhopal 462001
Email id: sambavna@sancharnet.in ... Website: www.bhopal.org
Telephone: 0755-2730914 / 0755-2743157
1. Woman Physician in Ayurvedic System
Currently one branch of the Clinic provides Ayurvedic treatment, including Panchakarma therapy. Many of the medicines are locally produced from medicinal plants grown on the campus farm (herbal garden) according to Indian Pharmacopoeia standards. More of the patients are women, and many wish for the new physician to be a woman, too.
Work expectations:
∑ To see at least 40 patients [new registered + follow-up] in a day
∑ To document case histories, treatment and progress according to
the Clinic's standard protocols for medical recording and detail.
∑ To develop and standardize treatment protocols for specific symptom
complexes (when required, in consultation with the team).
∑ To keep regularly updated on the latest relevant research and to
dialogue with colleagues about significant therapeutic issues.
∑ To stay aware of alternative Allopathic treatment for specific conditions,
and, when needed, to help patients in making informed choices.
∑ To advise on and perform the panchakarma procedures.
∑ To carry out focused project studies from Ayurveda's perspective
(on detoxification, for example) within the Clinic's research protocols.
∑ To prepare regular fortnightly, quarterly and yearly reports.
∑ To perform quarterly internal evaluation of clinical and project work.
∑ To advise and supervise medicine-growing and medicine-production.
∑ To assist in the production of community health education material.
Specifically, we are looking for candidates with:
¸ A BAMS degree and/or post-graduate degree or diploma.
¸ At least two years of experience of seeing patients independently.
¸ At least one year of experience in conducting Panchakarma procedures.
¸ Knowledge of spoken Hindi (minimum); preferably also able to read
and write Hindi.
Additionally, for any of the physicians, these attributes are desirable:
¸ Experience and/or obvious interest in epidemiological/clinical research.
¸ Involvement with / exposure to economically disadvantaged communities.
¸ Computer literacy and familiarity with statistical packages.
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2. Woman Gynaecologist (Allopathic)
The gas leak disaster specifically affected women's health, including reproductive health. There is a special section in the Clinic to treat the gynaecological ailments of women survivors and to monitor long-term reproductive system effects. Sambhavna's women health workers carry out community-level monitoring for abnormalities (by VIA, pap smear). When indicated, the gynaecologist follows this up by colposcopy at the Clinic. The special Gynaecology Clinic was inaugurated in 2004 by a generous donation from Dominique Lapierre and women physicians of 'Doctors without Borders' helped to set it up.
Work expectations:
∑ To see at least 25 patients [new registered + follow up] in a day.
∑ To document case histories, treatment and progress in detail.
∑ To develop and standardize treatment protocols for specific symptom
complexes (when required, and in consultation with the team).
∑ To keep regularly updated on the latest relevant research.
∑ To stay aware of alternative treatment possibilities of Ayurveda and
Yoga, and to help patients make informed choices.
∑ To perform general and specific gynaecological procedures including
VIA, pap smear and colposcopy.
∑ To carry out focused project studies (for example, on anaemia and
cervical pathology).
∑ To prepare the regular fortnightly, quarterly and yearly reports for
the gynaecological section.
∑ To perform internal evaluation of the gynaecological section for both
the therapeutic work and the research project(s).
∑ To assist in the production of community health education material.
Specifically we are looking for candidates with:
¸ A post-MBBS degree or diploma in Gynaecology.
¸ At least two years of experience of seeing patients independently.
¸ At least a year's experience in gynaecological/investigative procedures.
¸ Ability to speak Hindi and preferably also to read and write it.
Additionally, these attributes are desirable:
¸ Experience and/or obvious interest in epidemiological/clinical research.
¸ Involvement with / exposure to economically disadvantaged communities.
¸ Computer literacy and familiarity with statistical packages.
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3. Physician of Modern Western Medicine (Allopathy)
On the 'allopathy' side there is a large patient load, currently handled by one physician who also looks after research project work. A second physician is required, and preferably a woman. From all team members we expect a respectful attitude towards patients along with high ethical and scientific standards.
Work expectations
∑ To see at least 40 patients [new registered + follow up] in a day.
∑ To document case histories, treatment and progress according to the
Clinic standards for detail.
∑ To develop and standardize treatment protocols for specific symptom
complexes (where required, in consultation with the team).
∑ To keep regularly updated on the latest relevant research and to dialogue
with colleagues about significant therapeutic issues.
∑ To stay aware of alternative treatment possibilities through Ayurveda (also Unani, if available) and Yoga, and to help patients make informed choices.
∑ To carry out spirometry and ECG measurements; to train and supervise the
para-professional team members in the supportive tasks (when needed).
∑ To carry out focused project studies (for example, on changes in functional
lung capacity, etc.) involving the Clinic team.
∑ To prepare the regular fortnightly, quarterly and yearly reports for the
allopathic medical section.
∑ To perform internal evaluation of the allopathic medical section for both
the therapeutic work and the research projects.
∑ To assist in the production of community health education material.
Specifically we are looking for candidates with :
¸ An MBBS and/or post-graduate degree or diploma in Internal Medicine.
¸ At least two years of experience of seeing patients independently.
¸ Knowledge of spoken Hindi (minimum) and preferably also able to read
and write Hindi (and/or Urdu).
Additionally, these attributes are desirable:
¸ Experience and/or obvious interest in epidemiological/clinical research.
¸ Involvement with / exposure to economically disadvantaged communities.
¸ Computer literacy and familiarity with statistical packages.
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4. Community-based Research Co-ordinator
The Sambhavna Trust initially arose out of the sustained efforts of a volunteer team conducting 'verbal autopsy' studies of deaths related to the gas exposure, and these studies have stood up in courts of law. Since then Sambhavna has pursued several scientific studies in the interests of medical justice for the gas victims. This work continues and now requires a specialised person to co-ordinate the community-based research efforts from both medical and social science perspectives.
Work expectations:
∑ To design and conduct research studies in communities in co-ordination
with the medical team.
∑ To encourage participation of community health workers and health volunteers from communities in designing and carrying out research studies.
∑ To set up community based surveillance systems for identifying emergent
health problems.
∑ To establish baselines and evaluation systems for impact assessment of
the work of the community health workers and health volunteers.
∑ To correspond and collaborate with researchers from outside of Bhopal.
∑ To publish findings in peer-reviewed journals on behalf of Sambhavna.
∑ To prepare fortnightly, quarterly and yearly reports on the community-
based research.
∑ To evaluate own work on a quarterly basis according to internal protocol.
Specifically we are looking for candidates with:
¸ An MBBS and post-graduate degree in Preventive & Social Medicine
or a social science post-graduate degree in Community Health.
¸ At least two years' experience of conducting epidemiological research.
¸ Knowledge of spoken Hindi (minimum) and preferably also able to
read and write Hindi (and/or Urdu).
Additionally the following attributes are desirable:
¸ Publication(s) in a standard national or international scientific journal.
¸ Experience of working among economically disadvantaged communities.
¸ Computer literacy and familiarity with statistical packages.
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