After Hyderabad ‘2015 Health India Initiative’ will now move to neighbouring Karnataka where it will hold similar health camps in Bijapur from February 1 to 6, and Bangarpet from February 8 to 12.
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: 6th India Health Initiative of Indian Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRC) attracted thousands of poor patients who benefited with medical care in their own localities.
Every year doctors from USA volunteer for health camps organised by the IMRC and its India wing Sahayata Trust to provide medical care to poor patients, who otherwise would not be able to afford the high cost of treatment.
This year six doctors from USA, Dr. Farida Ghogawala (Gynecologist), Dr. Irfan Moin (Geriatrics), Dr. Jerome Stefenko (General Surgeon), Dr. John Rosenberg (ER Physician), Dr. Mustafa Abo Alkheri (Surgeon), Dr. Yamin Ali Javed (Pediatrician), with the assistance of doctors and nurses from Indo-US Hospital rendered their services at three medical camps in Hyderabad. Indo-US Hospital is run by IMRC/Sahayta Trust.
Medical camp was organized in a way to target the most deserving patients. In Hyderabad this year the camp targeted three economically poor localities of Hassan Nagar, Vattepally, and Shaheen Nagar from January 27 to 29.
At the first day of Medical Camp at Hassan Nagar, a total of 681 patients were examined, on second day at Vattepally locality 490 patients were treated. On third and fourth day a record number of 1,600 patients were treated in Shaheen Nagar.
With a massive overflow of patients doctors from USA had to work over time, but this did not deter them. Chand Bi, an elderly woman from Shaheen Nagar said she got medical check-up for body pain which she has for years. She went to different government hospitals but said only when she visits the camp she feels satisfied with the treatment.
Volunteers of Sahayta Trust, meanwhile, made sure that the influx of patients doesn’t result in chaos. A separate counter for registration was stalled at the entrance of the camp, where every person who wished to get treated has to get register by giving basic information.
Every registered patient was guided towards examination room where nurses and junior doctors examined their ailments and referred them to respective doctor. Long queues of patients were witnessed at every stage. As TCN spent few hours at the camp, tables around all the six senior doctors were hardly vacant.
Even with a busy schedule doctors also counselled their patients on different health issue, patient was never made to feel that doctor is doing charity by helping them.
Qader Shariff, an old man with diabetic problems, from Shaheen Nagar, said, “Before coming here I also went to some other hospitals but they don’t do the kind of checkup which doctors here are doing for free of cost. At other hospitals they charge a lot of money but do not treat us properly.”
Another visitor added that almost all the poor residents of his locality got covered in medical treatment at the camp and big booster for them is free medicines provided here. Patients are also provided with free medicines in these camps.
Mohammed Ibrahim, caretaker of Madrassa at Shaheen Nagar Markaz where camp was organized had all praise for IMRC and its India wing Sahayata Trust. Ibrahim said that medical camp is making local population aware of the serious health issues.
“This is a working class locality where people can’t afford to go to a hospital for check-up even if they have health issues. Camps like this give them an opportunity to get aware of their health problems and get fine treatment and even free medicines. I have observed that locals here every year look forward for the medical camp,” he said.
Syed Abdul Najeeb from Sahayata Trust, who is overseeing the organization of Health camps, said that the basic aim to run this kind of health camps is to create awareness among the poor population. “Due to lack of access to medical care poor population of this country is at the receiving end of getting diagnosed at the final stages of diseases. With this health camps we are also making sure that poor patients apart from getting the medical treatment also open up to the preventive care of treatment,” he told TCN.
After the successfully holding the camp in Hyderabad, ‘2015 Health India Initiative’ will now move to neighbouring Karnataka where it will hold similar health camps in Bijapur from February 1 to 6, and Bangarpet from February 8 to 12.
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