Tessa and Rupert Hinds (left) met at CMC when they were elective students. Read more
Helena Rylander, Swedish medical student (Year 5) (seen below with her friends), talks about her experiences at CMC
I have just completed a few weeks of elective training at CMC in Vellore and would like to share some of my experiences from my time here.
First of all, I have been very impressed by CMC from the first moment me and my two friends arrived. We had read and heard that the hospital was one of India’s best, but were amazed by the size of the hospital, the number of patients and the extremely high level of knowledge, not only in staff but also students at CMC. The commitment and dedication we saw from all personnel and students were truly remarkable and impressive!
My friends Kim, Johanna and I got to spend time in four different departments; Endocrinology, Emergency, Cardiology and Haematology. We learnt so much in all of these departments and felt welcomed by all staff. We got to see many different parts of these specialties, both OPD, ward, surgery, journal clubs, quizzes and much more. It was clear from the very beginning that doctors in India work in quite a different way than doctors in Sweden. The number of patients they have to meet and treat every day is astonishing! 
We also found it very interesting that CMC's patients come from all over the country, as well as other countries in Asia and Afrika. Other differences that we identified was the financial and insurance aspect for patients, the involvement of all family members in a patient’s sickness and treatment and the use of clinical tools and reasoning to quickly evaluate the patients. However, many things proved to be exactly the same which also was fun to experience so far away from home.
In conclusion, we are very happy with our short but very intense time at CMC and we will bring home much knew knowledge and clinical experience. Thank you for having us!
Josephine Pepper and Samantha Smith from Australia, moved by their experience at CMC, raised money for our patients undergoing treatment for physical rehabilitation by selling cakes and chocolate. Read more
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