Alarfaat Clinic

Being right across from the District Hospital in Kishtwar makes things interesting. A lot of people come to us when the main hospital is too full or if they just want a quicker look at something minor. It’s a small clinic, just a couple of rooms really. We’ve got a view of the street and you can see the mountains in the distance when the clouds clear up. Kishtwar can get quite cold, so we usually have a small heater running in the corner during the winter months. It’s not a fancy medical center with glass doors. Our door is just a regular wooden one that creaks a bit. We know most of the people who walk through it. It’s the kind of place where someone might stop in just to ask a question about their prescription or to get their blood pressure checked while they’re out doing errands. We keep our notes in big ledgers and try to keep things as simple as possible. Sometimes the power goes out, and we have to use flashlights for a bit, but that’s just life here. We don't have a big marketing plan or anything like that. We just show up, open the shutters, and help whoever is waiting outside. It’s honest work and it keeps the neighborhood healthy. The patients seem to appreciate that we don't rush them out the door. We just take it one person at a time until the day is over and we go home.