MSF has a huge ward for kala azar patients in the central district hospital. The hospital tends to be the place people go when there is nowhere left to go. There were many patients, more than I expected, all serious and concerned about what they could do to make themselves better. Initially people tend to be shy and expect to be treated badly because they come primarily from the most marginalized castes in all of India. Kala azar is definitely a disease of the indigent. You can tell the patients who have been there for more than a few days. Not only do they appear to be significantly healthier than new comers, who are easily spotted on the ward, but they are also unafraid to ask questions about their treatments, which are administered intravenously through a drip, and they are quite comfortable fooling around with the dials on the drip to make it go slower or faster. The best thing, however, is that the medicine is a bright yellow, which means it’s got to be good for you AND is fun to look at! (See! I really am working…)
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