Medical camps bring hope & healing to a Chhattisgarh village
Sridevi, from Taraimal village, Chhattisgarh, who had been silently suffering from a urinary tract infection, was one of the persons seeking care at a medical camp organised by RC Raigarh Royale, RID 3261. Unaware of the cause of her distress, the 36-year-old would often find herself “rolling on the ground in agonising pain. I lived with the pain for over a year,” she says. Dr Madhulika Beriwal, a gynaecologist and spouse of club member Dr Manish Beriwal, present at the camp, noticed her agony and came to her aid.
Driven by her genuine concern for the well-being of women in the village, Dr Madhulika took it upon herself to counsel the women present at the camp on safe sex practices, menstrual hygiene management and toilet sanitation, then and there. “I wanted to make them aware of the critical role hygiene plays in their overall health and well being,” she says. Her impromptu counselling session “highlights how Rotary transforms you as a person. I am not a Rotarian but I have seen my husband do amazing service through his club and I guess that caught on,” she smiles. Sridevi, who has completed her prescribed course, says “now I keep my toilet clean to avoid infections in the future.”
Joining forces with the Indian Medical Association and NR Trauma Hospital, the club organised its second mega health camp in the rural areas of Chhattisgarh “to improve healthcare accessibility and create awareness about crucial health issues among village residents,” says Om Prakash Modi, the club’s president-elect.
The camp was inaugurated by Kumari Laxmi Bhagat, the village sarpanch, and saw a footfall of over 600 villagers. Nearly 500 patients received comprehensive medical attention from a team of dedicated healthcare professionals examining them for a wide range of ailments, including blood pressure, sugar, ENT, orthopaedic, dental and gynaecological ailments.
The sarpanch expressed her gratitude to the club for organising this camp. “I am glad that women’s health has been the highlight of this camp. Not only were patients provided with medical consultation, they were also given free medicines, ensuring that we could access necessary treatment without financial constraints,” she said. She also requested that the club conducts a similar camp at another village near Taraimal.
The club, in the presence of DG Shashank Rastogi, installed water coolers at four locations in the city, as part of its ongoing water project Jal Mission Yojana.
