THRISSUR: It was a health camp with a difference: a medical aid committee that had been formed in a village was trying to reach out to patients across the State and in the process motivate people to launch local-level collective initiatives to help patients in dire straits.

About 3,000 patients with major ailments such as heart diseases, kidney problems, and cancer from different parts of the State will attend the medical camp organised by the Medical Aid Committee formed by the people of Kandassankadavu in Thrissur district.

The three-day camp began at the Indoor Stadium in the city on Sunday.

Most of the hospitals in the city, including West Fort Hospital, Ashwini Hospital, Mother Hospital and Daya Hospitals as well as the Jubilee Mission Medical College and the Amala Medical College, are cooperating with the camp.

The Coimbatore-based Kovai Medical Centre, Aravind Eye Hospital and Lotus Hospital will also send their teams for the camp.

The organisers are preparing a registry of patients with major ailments and are trying to arrange financial help and subsidised medical care for them by facilitating local-level initiatives. According to T.I. Chacko, one of the organisers of the camp, it was tragic event in Kandassankadavu village that had led to the formation of the committee. A person from the village had committed suicide in 1998 unable to bear the expenditure of frequent dialysis required for his son Satheesan who was suffering from renal failure.

The people of the area formed the committee and mobilised funds for the treatment of Mr. Satheesan, who has now recovered after kidney transplant.

The incident triggered off similar initiatives for other poor patients in the area and so far we have been able to mobilise funds for the successful treatment of 27 patients, Mr Chacko told The Hindu .

"We form separate medical aid committees in the name of each patient and if we mobilise surplus funds in any area, the amount is transferred to help other patients.

The committee is dissolved after the treatment of the respective patient," said P.A. Shaji, another activist of the committee.

"It is the success of the initiatives in our area that has motivated us to conduct a State-level camp.

We will facilitate the formation of local-level medical aid committees for each patient and mobilise the resources for them both from their respective area as well as from sponsors at the State and national levels," said surgeon N. Mohandas, who is the medical coordinator of the camp.

"We are planning to hold two more State-level camps.

We hope to cover 10,000 patients altogether," said A.D. Benny, who is an office-bearer of the committee.

Minister for Sports and Fisheries Dominic Presentation inaugurated the State-level medical camp.

Sukumar Azhikode delivered the key-note address.

K. Radhakrishnan, Mayor; M.K. Paulson, MLA; district panchayat president N.K. Subramanian; Health Standing Committee chairman of the Corporation M. Usman, Uma Preman, K.K. Babu and V.S. Ajayakumar were among those who spoke at the inauguration of the medical camp.

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