By Derek Gentile
Great Barrington, July 17 : For inhabitants of the remote mountain community of Gargon, Tibet, the nearest medical clinic is five hours away by Jeep over rough terrain.
“That, of course, assumes you have a Jeep, and you have money to pay for your treatment,” pointed out nurse-midwife Linda Baxter.
Baxter, who has been a nurse-midwife for 30 years and has practiced at Fairview Hospital since 1988, is one of five members of a medical team that will travel to Tibet in a few weeks to participate in the Gar Tibet Health Project. The project, begun in 2005, hopes to create access to basic health care services and to address critically high levels of maternal and infant mortality in this community.
The tribesmen and -women of Gargon are nomads who live in an almost inaccessible part of the world, 15,000 feet above sea level. To get there, the team of U.S.-based medical practitioners flies for almost a day to the Chinese city closest to the village, and then travels by bus or Jeep for several more days. The trip requires two overnight stops to enable them to acclimate to the elevation.
This is Baxter’s second trip to Tibet. Last year, she was part of a team that conducted 800 patient visits and trained about 100 women in maternal and child health care.
“I’ve always been interested in doing international work,” she said. She was led to the project by a relative who knew the project coordinator, Dr. Donna Caplan of Montpelier, Vt.
The people of Gargon exist in abysmal sanitary and health conditions. There is no indoor plumbing and no vehicles, and what electricity is available is generated by solar panels. The part-time doctor has few resources.
Worse, there is no tradition of midwifery at birth, or even someone attending the mother, Baxter said. As a result, the infant mortality rate is one in 10, and the maternal death rate one in 33, one of the worst in the world. In developed
countries, the maternal death rate is one in 2,800.
Women are expected to work until they give birth. The villagers’ diet includes no vegetables or fruits, and vitamin deficiencies are universal.
The clinic, said Baxter, is run by the Chinese, who do not speak Tibetan.
“And the Tibetans we spoke with believe the Chinese do not treat them well when they do travel to the hospital,” Baxter said.
Last year, she said, the team devoted itself to teaching basic hygiene, some nutrition information, the importance of cleanliness and the presentation of basic supplies to help birthing mothers.
These supplies included iron supplements, vitamins, baby blankets, and a “birth kit” with a plastic apron, a clean string and a single-sided razor to cut the umbilical cord.
The team will be returning in a few weeks. Baxter said the training will continue, and she will add information about HIV and establish space for a health clinic. The space has been set aside, she said.
In addition, the team will train five women of the village in basic medical procedures.
While Baxter is preparing to go to Tibet, she is still soliciting funds for the training program. The organization is trying to raise about $17,640 for the training, she said.
“It’s satisfying to help,” she said. “It’s good to know that there is something you can do to make a difference.”
