Mehrauli Health Camp by Ponty Chadha Foundation

Continuing with its ongoing drive aimed at spreading awareness on healthcare, the Ponty Chadha Foundation held a health camp on January 6, 2015 in one of the villages facing lack of healthcare facilities, the village of Mehrauli in Delhi NCR.

The Foundation was aided by the Indo German Hospital which assisted by sending teams of doctors and paramedics to the location. The camp saw people queuing up as early as 10 AM so that they could get themselves enrolled for the check-up.

Anticipating a huge turnout, volunteers of the Ponty Chadha Foundation had made arrangements at the local school premises. As a part of the registration process, the attendees were asked to record their names and age down on an OPD card which was then used by the doctors to record their diagnosis and prescribe medication.

It was found during the examination that there were a number of people with mild symptoms of heart and skin issues who were administered aid and provided medicines. Some of them who needed advanced diagnostics were referred to the Indo German Hospital for further aid.

On interacting with the gathering, it was also learnt by the Foundation’s volunteers that many women had developed signs of impending gynecological problems but would not seek consultation owing to lack of awareness and options. Majorly, most patients showed signs of heart and skin issues.

The free health camp acted as a curtain raiser for the people of the village. It helped them understand the importance of getting treated on time through early diagnosis. Many of the villagers also received free medication.

All in all, the villagers got their fair due from the camp.

Ponty Chadha Foundation is the CSR arm of one of India’s largest business conglomerates, the Wave Group. Under Vice Chairmanship of Mr. Manpreet Chadha (Monty Chadha), the group has expanded its CSR activities into the spheres of special education, food fortification, and rural healthcare.

The Ponty Chadha Foundation: Facilitating Rural Healthcare

With the United Nations report hinting towards chronic lack of medical facilities in rural areas, it is needless to underline that healthcare system in India has never been inclusive. While 75% of the healthcare system, including doctors and infrastructure, is concentrated in urban areas, rural India with almost 716 million people, faces critical health issues. Even though current healthcare infrastructure is centred on metropolitan cities, the irony remains that it is accessible to only those who can afford it.

One of the most critical requirements for an effective healthcare system in rural India is that of doctors. It is a matter of acute importance that rural India faces a shortage of doctors, as much as 64%.

The UN report suggests a shortage of more than 12,300 specialist doctors. Cognitive to this shortage, The Ponty Chadha Foundation (PCF), along with the Indo German Hospital, regularly organizes medical camps in the remote areas of North India and Delhi NCR.

With an aim to empower medical facilities in these areas, the Foundation set up another medical camp in the Village Inayatpur.  The camp which was held on 17^th December started off its proceedings at 1000 hours. While the assemblage started queuing up in the early hours of the day, the Foundation’s’ volunteers were well-prepared to manage them well.  Administering free aid and advice on general health, the camp had a specialized team of doctors from the Indo German Hospital which also looked into critical health conditions.

The camp which was set up in the premises of the Pradhan’s residence had ample space to accommodate the registration process and seating arrangement. Since it was a strong turnout, the volunteers were kept on their toes while facilitating free check-ups.

A total of 141 patients out of 350 families attended the camp, during which they were guided through check points with OPD cards. During the course of the camp, it came out that a majority of the villagers suffered from respiratory and gastro related health problems. The volunteers in conversation with the locals also confirmed that various skin and gynaecological problems were also common in the residents of Inayatpur.

Benefitting from the camp, a large percentage of residents got free medicines from the doctors and others with critical issues were further recommended to the Indo German Hospital.

The Ponty Chadha Foundation, CSR arm of Wave Group, is now a prominent name in social drives, and endeavours towards a healthy India by constantly organizing free health camps in remote areas.