Barhra is a typical village in rural West Bengal, India. People living in Barhra mainly rely on growing rice or working as daily-wage laborers in coal mines to earn a living. There is a government Primary Health Center (PHC) in the village, but the post of the medical officer is vacant. Barhra is not a preferred posting due to its remoteness. As is typical of rural Indian villages where the nearest doctor is miles away, people go to “quack” doctors, or to the two informal pharmacies in the village market when they need basic medical care. For anything more advanced than a cough and cold, they need to take a crowded bus to the nearest town to see a doctor, a trip which takes them all day and eats up costs them a week’s wages including the travel, cost of the the doctor’s fees, medicines and tests. The situation in Barhra is typical of many Indian villages, and many rural areas around the world.
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