Decades at PSE providing healthcare to the poorest families
Doctor Malai knows PSE well since she has been working there for 21 years! We can imagine that she has seen a lot of things change over the years and she is one of the many witnesses to the incredible story of PSE: "When I joined the adventure in 2002, I never would have imagined how big it has become. I was a doctor at the hospital at the time and I asked for a two-year experience in an NGO, but I never left PSE after those two years; there were so many needs and the situation of the families was so bad... When I realized how committed the founders Papy and Mamie were, I felt the need to be part of the mission and I knew I belonged to it".
Among treatments, vaccines, prevention, health education and more, her position as a doctor is far from common as Malai works daily with families from extremely difficult backgrounds. What changes, for example, is the focus on prevention and explanation to families in order to avoid the cost of future treatments that they definitely can't afford: "When I came to work at PSE, I knew that I was going to face very difficult cases because of the precarious conditions the beneficiaries live in. They can't afford regular check-ups and sometimes don't know how to take care of themselves. I do my best to explain to them the treatments or how to take the medications so that they can be autonomous. It can be frustrating not to provide the information in person, so to the children of their sick parent staying at home, as I know there is a risk the treatment will not be followed correctly".
Over the years, Malai has noticed huge changes in the buildings, the extension of the campus, the state of the roads around the center, the number of beneficiaries or meals served per day: "The creation of the vocational training schools in 2002 was a great highlight, and they have grown so much since!". She also remembers this anecdote: "At the beginning, the medical center was not as modern as the one we have today. During the rainy season, the floods are always bad but our infirmary was no built to avoid them so the water often got inside and it was flooded everywhere. In order to protect everyone, my team helped me move sandbags every day to keep the water out. We had to adapt!".
Finally, Dr. Malai would like to express her gratitude to PSE: "I want to say thank you and I am very proud to be part of PSE. To all my work family and everyone else, I want to remind you how important your health is, so please take care of yourself and don't forget to get a checkup every year!".