Category Archives: Useful / HEALTHCARE

This young educator is breaking taboos around menstrual hygiene

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Useful / HEALTHCARE, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , ,

NEW DELHI :

Farheen Naaz (39), an experienced education professional, calls herself a “menstrual educator by passion.” | Picture by arrangement

The objective of Farheen Naaz’s organisation is to break the taboo that has been built around menstrual hygiene since ages and normalise period talk, which is frequently hushed by elders in most Indian households.

New Delhi :

During the first and second wave of Covid-19, Farheen Naaz was busy distributing relief kits to marginalized communities in New Delhi. The kits however, had only one sanitary napkin packet. One of the women told her there was more than one menstruator in her house. That interaction left her thinking how the menstruation needs were left unaddressed during the pandemic and in ordinary times.

Farheen (39), an experienced education professional, calls herself a “menstrual educator by passion.”

In September 2019, she started We The Change, a women-led Delhi-based not for profit, working towards creating awareness and inculcating correct knowledge about menstrual hygiene amongst the community, including members who do not menstruate. The organisation started with online sessions and talks, soon growing to conducting on-ground drives.

We The Change distributed more than 950 menstrual hygiene kits (containing 50 sanitary pads, 50 disposal bags, two cloth panties and a bar of soap) across India during the pandemic. They plan to double their target and reach out to 2000 menstruators pan India.

“The objective of our organisation is to break the taboo that has been built around it since ages and normalise period talk, which is frequently hushed by elders in most Indian households,” says Farheen. “While this might be a topic that might have been directed towards only adolescent menstruators over time, our organisation has decided to include families of the menstruators as well to create a comfortable and safe space for these conversations.”

Farheen says she realised the problems are far deeper than just not getting access to menstrual products. “Mothers and grandmothers are the main sources of information for many menstruators, and hence they do not get access to the kind of resources and information that they should get,” she says. “Shame makes many menstruators susceptible to harm because they learn taboos and misinformation.”

We The Change initiative has collaborated with Menstrupedia, an educational comic book on menstruation that is used in schools across the country for workshop and training purposes. | Photo by arrangement

Having worked in sectors focusing on institutional education, menstrual education, skill development and social work, she hopes she can bring a significant change in the society and smooth over the differences that exist between different genders, castes and socio-marginalised classes.

“We partner with and train local teachers so that students can come to them with their issues and get information from menstrual health-trained teachers,” she explains. 

We The Change initiative has collaborated with Menstrupedia, an educational comic book on menstruation that is used in schools across the country for workshop and training purposes.The plan is to buy and donate these books to menstruators pan-India, and use this material to train adolescents in menstrual health and menstrual waste management.

Sustainability in menstrual health and hygiene is often talked about. But a majority of women are unable to use sustainable menstrual products due to lack of resources such as clean water and the cost of  these products.

Farheen has come up with a menstrual waste-management project called the #ProjectRedWaste, which is specifically aimed at providing recycled paper bags with a red dot on them to menstruators to safely dispose of menstrual waste, such that sanitation workers also identify these and separately handle them.

Farheen says this work has helped her realise how fixing menstrual issues is central to breaking several societal barriers. A large part of her programme therefore involves education about menstruation, women empowerment, battling transphobia, and inculcating leadership amongst young menstruators. 


Suchitra is an independent journalist working on social justice, focusing primarily on gender justice. She tweets at @Suchitrawrites

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Suchitra, TwoCircles.net / February 07th, 2022

Madrasa’s hospital a boon for a village near Ajmer

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Science & Technology, Useful / HEALTHCARE, , , , , , ,

Oontra Village (Ajmer District), RAJASTHAN :

Dawat-ul-Haq Hospital established by a madrasa in Ajmer district’s Oontra village. | Photo Credit: de31hospital ANKITA

It is providing healthcare at nominal prices to people of all religion

Making a humble contribution to the institutional deliveries of women, a first-of-its-kind hospital established by a madrasa in Ajmer district’s Oontra village has started providing health services in a rural area which lacks basic medical facilities. The 40-bed hospital, built with zakat and other charity funds on the madrasa premises, was formally inaugurated on December 19.

Idara Dawat-ul-Haq, which has started the hospital to cater to the needs of rural population, has been imparting religious education since 1998 and had registered itself with the State government’s Education Department for running multiple schools in 2009-10. One of the schools has since been upgraded to senior secondary level.

The Islamic seminary boasts of a strength of 4,600 students, including girlsThe hospital is the latest addition to the institution’s work for benefiting the villagers.

Idara Dawat-ul-Haq’s head Maulana Mohammed Ayub Qasmi told The Hindu that the initiative for institutional deliveries in the hospital had turned out to be a blessing for the women in the region, who were deprived of medical care during pregnancy and childbirth in the absence of an adequate health infrastructure. The hospital has conducted half-a-dozen institutional deliveries within its first two weeks.

The hospital, which also holds the distinction of being the first medical facility established by a madrasa in Rajasthan, has set an example of communal harmony, as it offers health care at nominal prices to the people belonging to all religions, castes and creed. The emergency, ambulance and medical store facilities are available round the clock.

With a population of 6,000, Oontra, situated 26 km away from Ajmer, has a primary health centre that only refers the patients to bigger hospitals in the nearby Kishangarh town and the district headquarter. The Dawat-ul-Haq hospital, which has installed 16 of the 40 sanctioned beds, has two full time doctors, including a gynaecologist, eight nursing personnel and other paramedical staff.

Anshu Shiv Kumar of Kaipara village, who was advised a Caesarean delivery by the doctors in Ajmer, was the second to undergo normal delivery in the hospital. Shareefa Khatoon of Oontra village said her grandson was born here with full medical care and her daughter-in-law was doing fine.

Kirti Mehta, Nursing Officer in Ajmer’s Jawaharlal Nehru Government Hospital, who has been instrumental in planning and executing the medical facility project at the seminary, said it would help reduce the high infant and maternal mortality rates in the region.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Other States / by Mohammed Iqbal / Oontra (Ajmer), January 01st, 2022

Kerala Taxi Driver Provides Wedding Dresses to Needy Brides for Free

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Useful / HEALTHCARE, , , , , ,

Thootha Village (Malappuram District), KERALA :

Dress Bank: Started in April 2020 and so far Nasar Thootha has gifted free wedding costumes to around 300 underprivileged brides.

Nasar Thootha runs the charity called “dress bank” in which he collects used dresses from the rich and passes on the same to those in need.

New Delhi :

A Taxi driver from Kerala’s Malappuram is running a charity of providing expensive wedding dresses to the brides unable to afford them for free.

Nasar Thootha, who hails from Thootha village of Malappuram District, runs the charity programme called “dress bank” in which he collects used dresses from the rich and passes on the same to those in need. He took the initiative in April 2020 and so far gifted free wedding costumes to around 300 underprivileged brides.

Last year, Nasar, who returned from Saudi Arabia where he employed in a supermarket, invited the people through the social media to pass on their idle used wedding dresses to him for the cause. As his request spread far and wide, dresses started landing on his doors.

“Wedding attires are all about vanity. They are worn for a few hours and then never come out of the cupboards. Realising this, many families came forward to support our cause,” Nasar was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying.

He receives all these donated dresses from across the state with the help of friends and charity organisations. He cleans and packs them to keep them into distribution racks.

“With God’s grace,” said Nasar, I personally don’t have to invest any money on the dress bank. I am just a channel through which women who need them the most receive them from kind donors”.

His initiative has met with massive success as he has around a thousand dresses in stock, which range in prices from Rs 3000 to 50000 rupees. Not just Kerala, people from neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also started donating dresses.

“The bride and her parents can directly visit the Dress Bank and select the dress item that she needs irrespective of its cost. We never ask them to return the dress after use,” he told The News Minute.

Talking about the inspiration behind the initiative, Nasar said, “After returning from Saudi Arabia, I was helping state agencies rehabilitate the poor and homeless. During that period, I met many families who were struggling to arrange wedding dresses for their daughters, which are usually expensive. So I decided to help them”.

Nasar, who has four children, parents, and a handicapped sister, was helped by the family members in his work. Initially, he started the work from home. Later, a friend gave him a shop to carry on with his charity work.

Apart from the dress bank, he runs an ambulance for patients. He does not charge those who are unable to rent an ambulance.

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> Features> India / by Team Clarion / January 24th, 2022

Book Launched on Shamim Ahmed, A Human Rights Activist

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, FREE : Food, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Leaders, Useful / HEALTHCARE, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

BIHAR / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

Kolkata:

A book titled ‘A world Divided: Human Rights in an Unequal World’ written on the 25-year struggle of famous social activist Shamim Ahmed was launched on September 25 at a grand ceremony held at the Five Star Ruff Hotel The Park in the West Bengal Capital.

Former minister and congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer paid tributes to Shamim as he said there are very few people in the country who do great service for the restoration of human rights and to put a smile on the face of the people of the country.

He congratulated the author of the book and said that the author has researched the life of Shamim Ahmed and brought a book before us.

The book sheds light on the life of Shamim Ahmed and his work in promotion of Urdu language.

Shankar said that he had the opportunity to read a book, adding that he was very much impressed with his “Food for All” campaign.

“Rights and opportunities have not been found. Even today, people on the streets are longing for food.” Mani Shankar Aiyar said that India is a multi-religious country. “The destiny of this country lies in national unity.”

pix: goodreads.com

Former Member of Parliament and renowned intellectual Mohammad Adib, while acknowledging the services of Shamim Ahmed, said that coming from Bihar to Bengal and launching a movement to make Urdu the second official language is nothing short of a feat.

He said, “it is unfortunate that after India’s independence Later, Urdu was treated leniently. There was injustice with Urdu in Bengal as well. Shamim Ahmed raised his voice against this injustice.

Expressing his views on the occasion, Adib said that the 25-year journey of Shamim was full of difficulties, trials and tribulations.


On the occasion, renowned international artist and Bengali intellectual Shubha Parsna said that Shamim Ahmed is the pride of Bengal. “We are happy that there are people in Bengal who speak of humanity and deal with people on humanitarian grounds. That I have known Shamim Ahmed for the last many years. He had compassion for humanity in his heart.

Prasana urged books should be written on such personalities so that the new generation is aware of him. The event was attended by important personalities from different sections of the society.

source: http://www.millattimes.com / Millat Times / Home> National / by Millat Times Staff / October 05th, 2021

Hammad Ahmed is new Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Science & Technology, Useful / HEALTHCARE, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

Prof. (Dr.) M. Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor presents a bouquet to Hammad  Ahmed   Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard.

New Delhi: 

Hammad Ahmed, Co-Chairman, Hamdard National Foundation (India), President, Hamdard National Foundation (India) – HECA, and Chief Mutawalli (Trustee) of Hamdard Laboratories India (Foods), has been appointed as Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard (Deemed to be University).

In the Vice Chancellor Board Room, Jamia Hamdard, the Chancellor was greeted by Prof. (Dr.) M. Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Iqbal S. Hasnain, former Pro-Chancellor, and. Syed Saud Akhtar, registrar, in the presence of various Deans of Schools, Dy. Registrar, Chief Proctor, DSW, FSA, Executive Engineer, and other senior officers of Jami

Hammad Ahmed is also a well known philanthropist, man of wisdom and exemplary character. He is one of the founding members of Hamdard National Foundation at its inception in 1964; he brings with him infinite wisdom and experience. Over more than 50 years, he has forged Hamdard National Foundation into one of India’s most prominent and respected charitable organizations. Hammad Ahmed’s quiet modesty hides the magnitude of his achievements in introducing new initiatives for contributions to society, and his relentless commitment to the charitable cause has improved the lives of countless people.

Late Janab Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the founder of Hamdard National Foundation and Jamia Hamdard, instilled in him a lovely and motivating personality. Hammad Ahmed’s gentle modesty belies the immensity of his contributions to society through the introduction of new initiatives, and his unwavering commitment to the charity cause has benefited the lives of countless people.

He has been involved in Jamia Hamdard before its recognition as Deemed University status in 1989. Over the years, he has served in the Executive Council, Finance Committee and various other advisory bodies of the University and has championed the growth of Jamia Hamdard through sustained personal attention and interest.

Since joining Hamdard Laboratories India as its Sales and Marketing Head in 1973, he has overseen a meteoric rise in business and the Hamdard name, in the process establishing himself as one of India’s prominent business leaders.

Educated in Sherwood College, Nainital, and then in Cornwall, UK and New York, USA for further studies, Hammad Ahmed has inculcated a strong sense of discipline in his life and work, and the results are self-evident.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Special Correspondent / January 26th, 2022

Telegu short-story writer, Muslim physiotherapist win awards at Women Summit 2021

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Useful / HEALTHCARE, Women/Girls(since May26-2021),

Kochi, KERALA :

Women Summit is the annual get together of the members and well-wishers of Women’s Manifesto, a national level NGO formed in 2014. It gives Women Manifesto Award to eminent women from different fields, who have contributed significantly to society and achieved great heights in their professions. 

New Delhi :

Manasa Yendluri, a young Telugu short-story writer and Shani S. Hameed, a physiotherapist and Founder, Director and Rehabilitation Child Specialist of Alfa Paediatric Rehabilitation Centre, received awards from Women’s Manifesto New Delhi at the Women Summit 2021. 

Women Summit is the annual get together of the members and well-wishers of Women’s Manifesto, a national level NGO formed in 2014. It gives Women Manifesto Award to eminent women from different fields, who have contributed significantly to society and achieved great heights in their professions. 

Women’s Manifesto New Delhi organised Women Summit 2021 virtually on 30 December 2021. Dr Rashmi Singh, IAS, Special Secretary-cum-Director, Department of Women and Child Development and Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, was the chief guest of the event.

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Yendluri said, “Receiving an award from women’s manifesto is truly an honour as it not only helps women in need of guidance and support but also encourages and identifies the women of substances.” 

“It was a great evening listening to the eminent women across the nation. I sincerely that women’s manifesto and appreciate its deeds”, she added.

While sharing her proud moments with TwoCircles.net, she said, “I won Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for 2020 for her collection of short stories ‘Milinda’.”

Manasa did her graduation in Psychology and English literature and did her masters in linguistics from the University of Hyderabad.

Her father Prof. Sudhakar and mother late Dr Putla Hemalatha were also eminent writers in Telugu. 

Most of her short stories talk about women from varied backgrounds. She focuses more on the plight of educated Dalit Christian women in the urban setup. She also has written stories on queer characters as an ally. 

Her works have been translated into English and have been appreciated across the country. 

She has also translated famous Marathi writer Sharan Kumar Limbale’s novel into Telugu. She received many awards for her stories from prolific Telugu writers.

Shani S. Hameed is another winner of the Women’s Manifesto New Delhi. 

Hameed has won this award for her initiative called ALFA. ALFA is one of the leading Pediatric Rehabilitation centres and child development established in 2012 and started its operation with a 100 sq ft clinic in Changampuzha Nagar, Kochi, Kerala.

Around 10 kids were given pediatric physiotherapy treatment during the initial year. In 2013 the centre has expanded 1000+ sq feet own centre with more focus on early intervention programs. The program includes medical assessment speech therapy, occupational therapy and special education.

While speaking about ALFA, she said, “ALFA’s vision is to enhance the quality of life for children with special needs, nurture them for a self-reliant existence and support their parents to bring them back to the mainstream of the society”. 

“With focused early intervention therapies and multidisciplinary team approaches the centre could make significant achievement in rehabilitating the children with special needs,” she added.

Alfa has been recognized for its work over the past 9 years in the field of rehabilitation, for its coordination of over 50 Alpha team members with over 100% female representation, and for its efforts to make women who have had a career break due to having children with disabilities self-sufficient.

According to her, Alfa has received numerous accolades at the state level since 2014, this year’s national recognition, Alfa is proud to be able to grow from the single-member team from Car Porch converted centre to more than 50 team members today to serve more than 200 children per day at 5 centres across Kerala.

“Now, I am serving more than 200 children who come from different parts of Kerala. Among them, 100 kids are from a very poor financial background and cannot afford treatment expenses or travel expenses. I have been providing the same quality of services irrespective of their financial capability,” Hameed said.

She also talked about ALFA’s short film on social awareness about inclusive education, which is available on YouTube.  

While receiving the award, she said “I am very excited and happy on winning the award of Women’s Manifesto in the New Year. Many thanks to the Women’s Manifesto organization and those who are behind this initiative”. 

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Snobar, TwoCircles.net / January 07th, 2022

AMU Scientists Invent Novel Technology to Treat Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Leaders, Science & Technology, Useful / HEALTHCARE, World Opinion, ,

Aligarh , UTTAR PRADESH :  

Diabetic people with foot sores, fearing limb amputations can heave a sigh of relief as a team of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) scientists lead by Prof Asad Ullah Khan of the Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit has developed a novel ‘Nano-Composite based Photo-Dynamic Therapeutic Approach to treat Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers’.    

Their remarkable patented study, data and work accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed ‘Scientific Report’ of the Nature Publishing Group has been successful on animal models. The technology successfully treated foot ulcers in diabetic rats.

“Anatomical and physiological similarities prompted us to investigate a large range of mechanisms for assessing this new treatment therapy on animal models with no toxicity before applying it to humans. We are content to have successfully treated foot ulcers in diabetic rats which were not treated by any available antibiotics due to the multi-drug resistant strain mediated infection”, said Prof Asad.

According to him the animal models were cured in a span of 14 days through the newly developed technology.   

“Our team has been involved in proving the efficacy of the treatment for the last two years. The study is on its way for human trials”, added Prof Asad.

He pointed out: “Independent studies reveal that across the world, a limb is amputated every few minutes and this actuality becomes even more unsparing when you learn that most of these amputations are the result of diabetic foot ulcers. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to come up with a pertinent treatment for saving limbs and lives”.

“It is hoped that this novel technology will become the final finding for the pursuit of the much awaited treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. We are longing for the world to find out that there is more to the prevention of this infection than just offloading wounds, removing dead skin and tissue, applying dressings and checking blood glucose and other health issues”, said Prof Asad.

source: http://www.amu.ac.in / AMU, Aligarh Muslim University / Home> AMU News / Public Relations Office / Aligarh, December 13th, 2021

Five KU students invent rice cooker that sucks starch

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Science & Technology, Useful / HEALTHCARE, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , ,

Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Srinagar :

Five students from University of Kashmir have invented an automatic rice cooker. Apart from working automatically, the rice cooker also sucks out starch from the rice.  

The group of inventors said, “Rice cookers accessible these days are giving us undesirable food. They prepare food without expelling the destructive material like starch which can cause medical issues among some people.”

The main goal of this invention is to suck out the starch from the rice which is unhealthy for the diabetic patients.

Earlier, the people who used to cook rice in cooking pots, used to drain out starch from the rice manually which avoided health problems like diabetes, obesity etc. It was researched by innovators that diabetic patients were advised by doctors not to consume rice made in rice cookers as it doesn’t drain out starch.  

“The cooker is designed as such that it prompts the user whether to suck out the starch from rice or not because healthy people need starch for their body,” said Jehangir Hameed, a member of the group, who is currently pursuing M. Tech.

The rice cooker will cook food with a single text message sent by a user through the mobile phone. It will monitor the starch status of the rice being cooked. It will consistently screen the starch status and will expel when it is being discharged out of the rice.

Working of the project

It has inbuilt rice bowl and water tank which are controlled utilizing controllers and hence no physical intervention is required while cooking or keeping the prepared food warm.

The device is fully automatic as it is controlled by GSM and IoT based technology. The rice cooker is programmed and configured to receive a command from a mobile phone to cook rice for people ranging from 1 to 12.

With predetermined chambers for water and rice, it will automatically put the rice and water for cooking. At every stage of cooking, the device will send an alert to the user about the number of people for whom rice is cooked. When the food is cooked, it will again send a message to the user that the food is ready.

Jehangir said, “It’s good for everyone. People who work outside, or a student who lives in a hostel, people coming from outings and sports activities after being exhausted, have no capacity to prepare food. With a single text from a mobile phone or other source, it will accomplish the cooking work itself.”

Apart from Jehangir, Azraw Hussain, Sajid Noor, Ariez Koul and Imran Nazir are part of the project along with Dr. Bilal Ahmad Malik, the Scientific Officer from University of Kashmir.

The patent authority of India has accepted and published the details of their patent on the invention.

The innovators want support from government or private companies in order to convert their prototype into a marketable product.

source: http://www.risingkashmir.com / Rising Kashmir / Home / by Insha Latief Khan / November 03rd, 2021

Aster Hospitals to offer free surgery for 100 underprivileged children

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, Useful / HEALTHCARE, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Dubai, UAE / Kerala / Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

The ‘Second Life – Because Little Lives Matter’ initiative was launched in Bengaluru on November 15 by Dr. Nitish Shetty, Regional Director, Karnataka and Maharashtra Cluster; Farhan Yasin, Regional Director, Kerala and Oman Cluster; and Devanand K.T., Regional CEO, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Cluster

A 24X7 multi-lingual helpline has been set up to manage enquiries

To mark Children’s Day, Aster Hospitals in India launched the ‘Second Life – Because Little Lives Matter’ initiative.

The year-long initiative is aimed at supporting the medical treatment of disadvantaged children. The aim is to facilitate free paediatric surgery for at least 100 children below the age of 12 years.

Throught this initiative of Aster Volunteers Global CSR, the company wants to extend help to deserving children who are being treated across Aster Hospitals based in five States in India. This includes common childhood illnesses, such as appendicitis, intussusception, empyema and paediatric urology surgery, as well as complex clinical surgeries, including bone marrow transplant, liver transplant and heart surgery.

The initiative was launched in Bengaluru on November 15 by Dr. Nitish Shetty, Regional Director, Karnataka and Maharashtra Cluster; Farhan Yasin, Regional Director, Kerala and Oman Cluster; and Devanand K.T., Regional CEO, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Cluster.

The treatment will be funded either by Aster DM Foundation, philanthropists or NGOs.

The foundation has established the criteria to identify eligible cases for the program. Applications will be assessed on the socio-economic status, BPL category, medical outcome of the child prior to commencement of selection and subsequent treatment.

A 24X7 multi-lingual helpline (+91 9633620660) has been set up in Kozhikode in Kerala to manage enquiries.

Junior doctor takes healthcare to the doorsteps of poor people in West Bengal’s Burdwan

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Science & Technology, Useful / HEALTHCARE, , , , , , , , , ,

Mohabbatpur Village (Malda), WEST BENGAL :

The young doctor arranges transport for those living in remote areas, holds regular health camps, reports Pranab Mondal.pix

West Bengal : 

As a junior doctor at Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, Dr Golam Ahmed Kibria became overwhelmed by the heart-wrenching ordeals of the underprivileged patients admitted here. “After joining the service, I saw how the poor had to suffer after a nationwide lockdown was announced last year to reach the state-run hospital in Burdwan. Many failed to turn up at the hospital because they couldn’t arrange for vehicles,” said Dr Kibria.

Witnessing these unfortunate circumstances reminded him of a line from the customary oath that medical students take: “I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity.” So Dr Kibria decided to start doorstep healthcare services for the marginalised. After his duty hours, he would organise free health camps in remote pockets of the district and even distribute free medicines.

“In a camp at Memari held on last October 4, I saw a three-and-a-half-year-old child suffering from frequent convulsions and his illiterate parents were helpless. I immediately made all arrangements to get the child admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital where it was detected that he was suffering from Sturge-Weber Syndrome, a rare congenital neurological and skin disorder.” The child was discharged after he recovered.

Dr Golam Ahmed Kibria (in white tee) with underprivileged patients.

In another camp, a woman in her early 60s turned up. “She was not in a position to move because of severe orthopaedic disease. Her family said they had gone door-to-door of rural hospitals but none could cure her. The orthopaedic surgeons at our hospitals identified the exact problem and gave her proper treatment,” he said.

Dr Kibria hails from Mohabbatpur village, Malda, which means a ‘hamlet/town of love’. His act of serving the poor reflects the meaning of his ancestral village’s name. He is the first male in his village to have cracked the medical entrance examination. “Treating patients with different ailments is not possible as a junior doctor. But I ensure their transport to the district hospital with the help of my colleagues, so that needy patients get speedy treatment and necessary pathological tests done,” said Dr Kibria, who organises two free health camps every month.

Realising he needs more man-power to serve the poor, Dr Kibria recently set up a welfare organisation called Prayas. It has 163 members and over 160 doctors. “We also provide rations and financial support to get daughters of poor families married off. Helping every poor person is beyond our capacity. But we try to reach the families who are in deep distress. We have already spent over `11 lakh for this purpose,” he said.

The 26-year-old doctor and his team even reached the areas ravaged by Cyclone Yash in West Bengal. “We held many camps in the affected areas and distributed free medicines. I do it all for the people of my country as my duty,” Dr Kibria signs off.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Pranab Mondal, Express News Service / November 07th, 2021