A Journey from Suffering to Recovery: Brahmachari Sharmila's Journey & the Role of Medical Camps in Rural India
Introduction: Why Rural Spine Care Needs Our Attention
India’s rural population is the backbone of the country. The farmers, labourers, and small-town residents keep our nation running. Ironically, they’re also the ones most impacted by spinal disorders, and they are also the least prepared to handle them.
Chronic low back pain, spinal injury due to manual work, undiagnosed tuberculosis of the spine, and degenerative spine conditions are more prevalent in villages than we generally realize. And yet, in these areas, affordable, timely, and specialty spine care is very much in short supply.
We can’t discuss the future of spine healthcare in India without discussing its condition in the villages. If we really want to become a healthier, spine-strong nation, access to rural healthcare must be at the forefront of every discussion.
Knowing the Ground Reality
1. Healthcare Is Still a Journey… Sometimes a Dangerous One
For the majority of those who reside in remote villages—particularly in mountain or tribal regions such as Uttarakhand, some parts of Maharashtra, or Chhattisgarh—the journey to a hospital is an adventure. There might not be a spine specialist even 200–300 km away. Even a general hospital may require one to walk through forests, wait for infrequent buses, or travel on foot.
Now put yourself in the position of a person with a broken spine or spinal TB attempting to make that trip. Most just abandon it. They either wait until the pain gets too much or quietly learn to accommodate it, until it becomes too late.
2. Spine Care Isn't Just Missing—It's Unheard Of
In most villages, individuals themselves are not aware that their situation may be a spinal issue. A slouched back is regarded as ageing. Leg numbness may be attributed to weakness. And even most health clinics, if they’re available, won’t have facilities or personnel who can diagnose early these issues.
There is a real lack of awareness and diagnosis at the ground level regarding the spine. Without identification and education, how do we hope to have timely treatment?
3. No Post-Op = No Recovery
Suppose someone actually does get surgery. They go home—but what then?
There is no physiotherapist in villagess. Nobody to lead rehab. They don’t even have a proper bed, walking frames or back braces. Some fall back. Others get new complications. Healing comes half-way.
So, What Needs to Change?
1. Start Where They Are: Decentralize Spine Care
Spine care should not be a luxury of metro towns. The future has to be:
- Regional Spine Care Centers (RSCCs) in rural areas, which serve as referral centers for villagers.
- Mobile spine units that move to interior regions to conduct checkups, primary diagnostics, and also referrals.
- Government-sponsored affordable spine care options under Ayushman Bharat or fresh rural spine health missions.
The closer we can bring the care to the people, the greater is their chances of recovery.
2. Let's Talk Tech — But Realistically
We always proclaim “telemedicine is the future,” but let’s be realistic—not all villages have internet or smartphones. And not all villagers are literate or are at ease on a screen. Nevertheless, technology can serve if used locally and sensibly.
- Identify young, tech-savvy villagers (such as teachers, shopkeepers, or even school children with smartphones).
- Train them to support others with video consultations with physicians in cities.
- Use simple smartphones to distribute pre-recorded videos in local languages—how to cope with pain, perform light rehab exercises, or identify red-flag signs.
- No high-end apps. Only WhatsApp, voice calls, short videos, and direct helplines can be wonder workers if utilized with sense.
Remote consultation for spinal conditions does not have to be technology-intensive. It simply has to be considerate and thoughtful.
3. Train the First Responders: Local Doctors and Health Workers
We can’t produce a spine specialist overnight at each village. But we can educate general practitioners and community health workers (CHWs) to:
- Identify early signs of spinal problems.
- Stabilize spinal trauma cases before reaching the nearest hospital.
- Teach patients about posture, pain management, and follow-up treatment.
A brief course or hybrid training (online + on-ground camps) can build a robust frontline defence for rural spinal care. As local doctors become more knowledgeable about the spine, referrals become wiser, and results get better.
This is the essence of training local doctors for spine treatment—not to replace specialists but to assist them where they are most needed.
4. Strengthen the Basics: Infrastructure and Equipment
The best diagnosis is useless if there is no X-ray machine in the PHC. The correct referral will not work if there is no ambulance to take the patient.
Let’s discuss practical solutions:
- Provide rural centers with portable X-ray machines and also surgical support.
- Provide internet connectivity in regional centers, even if its just a 4G dongle.
- Finance recovery beds, walking sticks, and physio corners in local hospitals.
This is where rural hospital healthcare funding needs to go—not into stylish and fancy buildings, but usable, working equipment.
5. Spine Awareness Needs to Go to the Roots
You don’t need to be a doctor to make a difference. Anybody in the village who knows about spine problems can:
• Identify symptoms of spinal deformity or injury.
• Encourage neighbours to get treated.
• Assist others in getting to hospitals or getting connected to remote doctors.
Suppose that all school teachers, panchayat members, and Anganwadi workers were aware of the fundamentals of spine care. Local people empowered with this knowledge is one of the most enduring ways to make a difference.
We require people-centered health programs for the poor, not just policy-oriented.
6. Policy-Level Acknowledgment for Spine Health
Spinal health isn’t even considered a significant aspect of national healthcare policy discussions, though it is one of India’s leading causes of disability. That has to change.
We require:
- Spinal disorder-specific government policies for rural healthcare.
- Public health scheme-offering free or subsidised spine surgeries.
- Spine deformity screening programmes in schools.
- Public-private partnerships with NGOs such as The Spine Foundation to scale-up faster.
Only when spinal health is made a policy focus area, then funding and attention will follow.
The Spine Foundation: Changing the Game in Rural India
Behind it all is The Spine Foundation (TSF) — a dedicated group of individuals that works day and night to ensure cutting-edge spine care becomes accessible to India’s remotest regions.
So What Sets TSF Apart?
Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj, an internationally renowned spine surgeon, who founded The Spine Foundation with the core conviction that anyone deserves access to spine care irrespective of location.
Their Remarkable Work
- Regional Spine Care Centres (RSCCs): TSF has set up RSCCs in far-flung tribal and hilly areas, where patients are screened, diagnosed, and cared for—without having to go to a big city.
- Surgical Outreach Camps: They hold camps in villages frequently, taking specialist doctors and surgeons to areas where people have never even seen a specialist. Many regain mobility and independence because of this.
- Training Programs: TSF trains local physicians and health workers to carry on care once the camp is over. In this manner, spine care doesn’t vanish—it becomes a part of the village’s life.
- Real Stories, Real Impact: Such as that of Sharmila, a woman from Uttarkashi who was bedridden. Following diagnosis and treatment through a TSF camp, today she not only walks—she walks with dignity.
With TSF’s efforts, we witness what can happen when compassion and commitment meet.
Conclusion: A Future Where No One is Left Behind
The future of spinal care in India is not only about improved hospitals or more intelligent machines. It’s about being inclusive, compassionate, and innovative that functions in the real world.
It’s about a tribal mother not ignoring her backache because she now knows that it can be treated. It’s about a boy assisting his grandfather to access a video consultation. It’s about a PHC worker diagnosing a slipped disc and taking action before it is too late.
We owe it to all the villagers, all the patients, and all the families to make rural healthcare access a matter of spine care—not as a privilege, but as a right.
Thanks to groups like The Spine Foundation, that future isn’t a dream anymore—it’s already being built.
Let’s help build it. Let’s tell others about it. Let’s strenghten up the spine of our nation—one village at a time.