By Anant Nevatia | President
It has indeed been overwhelming to receive funds that have allowed us to set up and operate ten primary health care centres (5 Rural Clinics and 5 Urban) in various districts across West Bengal, reaching out to over 10 lakh people. Each urban centre runs four departments namely General Medicine, Optometry, Dentistry and Homoeopathy. At the cost of INR 20 ($ 0.25), patients in this centre are provided with diagnosis and free medicine for seven days. The centres also provide free spectacles to those in need. Aside of this, each primary health care centre, in collaboration with other organizations, facilitates free cataract and cleft lip/palate surgeries for those in need.
While the centres have been set up, these require constant funding in order to operate and continue providing their services to those at the base of the socio-economic pyramid. There is a constant need for funds to provide medicines, free spectacles to patients and sponsor cataract surgeries for those who are in need but do not have the essential resources for the same. Moreover, with the lastest technology around, funds are needed to replace the old medical equipment with new and better machines.
Our facilities are only becoming more renowned in the areas in which they function and the footfall is only going up, as news of patients benefitting from treatment at our health care centres spreads to neighbouring villages. There is a constant need then to improve exsting infrastructure at our centres, for which we require funds.
The following is the feedback of a patient who has been benefitted from our services:
Ameena: Ameena, a resident of Kolkata was a tailor by profession until a fading eye sight prevented her from working because her work required very fine stitching. Requiring a spectacle requires a hefty fees to be paid to the doctor along with the cost of the spectacle to enable her to either to see or read properly. One such spectacle at its Maximum Retail Price will cost not less than 1000/-. Ameena visited one of our urban centres and got her eyes tested and had medicines prescribed by qualified doctors. Spectacles were given to her at no cost since she could not afford to pay. Ameena is back to her job of weaving and earning her money again. The money saved by her was utilized for the education of her children and better nutrition for her entire family.
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