Empowering lives through compassion: my experience as a Ni-kshay Mitra

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health problems in India. Although medical science has made considerable progress, social and economic constraints continue to deny many patients proper treatment and cure. My journey as a Ni-kshay Mitra began with a humble but impactful conversation with a senior leader. One of my seniors Post graduates was doing her thesis on TB patients. By seeing the sufferings of patient to meet day to day calorie and protein requirement and her knowledge about improved nutrition on outcome of the disease made her contribute in providing nutrition through Ni-kshay Mitra. My role as Ni-kshay Mitra began with provision of monthly nutrition kits containing energy dense food such as protein supplements, pulses, rice, cooking oil, and fresh fruits. But over the time I felt my support should be beyond food. One of the patients from a poor background, had been fighting TB while taking care of her infant child. She had nearly lost her treatment because of financial hardships. Through regular counselling and nutritional assistance, she regained her strength and successfully finished her treatment with her remarkable resilience. In retrospect, becoming a Ni-kshay Mitra has been the most impactful experience of my professional and personal life. It brought me back to the reality that healthcare is not always about the hospital or the pills. It finds its strength in human contact, listening to a person's tale, showing up even when it's hard, and believing recovery.