Karnataka   

Joining hands to ensure healthcare for the poor

DAVANGERE: A group of six doctors, along with a few social workers, have been treating poor and elderly patients here for the past seven years. The doctors also provide the patients with medicines.

The doctors visit the Chennagiri Virupakshappa Kalyana Mantapa on Sundays, when a large number of people from villages surrounding Davangere assemble near the kalyana mantapa, where a market fair is held.

The doctors pool drug samples given to them by different pharmaceutical companies and also collect drug samples from over 300 doctors in the city to distribute to patients. Apart from this, many pharmaceutical companies and members of the Jain community donate medicines to them. The doctors have set up a drug bank at the Rotary Bal Bhavan where poor patients are treated every day. Apart from this, the doctors, led by B.M. Vishwanath, have taken under their wing 40 children who need to be administered insulin every day. They are also given adequate insulin till the next camp is held. The doctors work under the aegis of Karuna Daya Seva Sangha and have so far treated over 35,000 patients.

Apart from Dr. Vishwanth, the others are Shalini, Siddappa, Shankar, Maheshwarappa and Suranagi. They are helped by social workers Shivanakere Basavalingappa, G.B. Sadashivappa, B.V. Veerabhadrappa, R.L. Bhimanand, K.S. Nandakumar, N.M. Shanthinath, R.D. Badarinath, S.T. Kusumashetty and K. Sachin Acharya.

Besides this, specialists doctors have also been roped in by the team.

Dr. Vishwanath, who is the president of the sangha said they were inspired by K.L. Nagaraj Shetty, a doctor in Bangalore who treats poor people.

Dr. Vishwanath said the sangha would build an exclusive hospital to treat the poor and the elderly. Similarly, it would also establish medicine banks in all districts with the cooperation of philanthropic organisations.

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