Sunday 3 May 2015

Naddi Health Camp

Last Sunday, April 26, marked a greatly successful event in Naddi center. Realizing the community’s needs for access to regular health care service, EduCARE India had organized a free health checkup for girls and women in Naddi with the participation of Fortis Hospital in Kangra.

Since the morning of the health camp, every team member was busy with a few last preparations for this big event. ReStore team was making juices to be served to doctors and patients. Another team was in the health clinic making sure everything was in place while others were running around handling logistics. Certainly we all hoped that the health camp would run smoothly.

A team of doctors and nurses from Fortis hospital arrived at around noon. We were honored to welcome Dr.Anu Namgyal, a gynecologist, and Dr.Sumeet Badhwar, a general practitioner, from Fortist Hospital.



In the waiting room
Women waiting to see the docor

The first group of women soon arrived and we all got to work right away. The women first were welcomed to a waiting room where free and health juices were served, their basic information collected, their weight measured, blood pressured and sugar level checked. Each woman then took their number and went to see the doctors.

While Naddi interns continued to assist with the whole operation, three girls from Shenny community also eagerly participated in this event. They were talking to women waiting, collecting information needed, talking to doctors, etc.
Dr.Anu Namgyal


Dr. Parveen Kumar
EduCARE team, Fortis team and Shenny community members
After nearly four hours of the event, fifty plus women had come to the health checkup. We received very positive responses from the communities and from Fortis Hospital. We were all so happy to see the event was a great success and our efforts had finally paid off.

For me, as a cluster coordinator, I could not be happier to see how much the communities were engaged and how much teamwork the Naddi interns showed. Moreover, not only did the health camp provide women with access to quality health care service, but it also raised awareness of health issues among community members.

At the end of the health camp, a young girl from the Shenny community said that she wanted to be a doctor. Dr.Anu Namgyal said: “If only one doctor comes out of this event, it will be already really successful.”

This reminds me of why I find my work so rewarding. It is not just about creating sustainable development within communities but also creating opportunities and exposures for women and young girls.

Hanh Lam, Vietnam
Cluster Coordinator - Dharamsala


No comments:

Post a Comment