With the Covid-19 pandemic surge continuing to affect people, any medical assistance close home is welcome! That is what the Chaupal OPD does at Ghitorni, the Capital’s urban village.
One can see every evening a crowd gathering under a banyan tree in Ghitorni. It is not for pleasure but to visit a room in a barat ghar for medical consultation. A group of enthusiastic volunteers are at hand to help these village residents.
How did it all begin?
According to a report in the Indian Express, the idea is the brainchild of a retired Navy officer, Narender Kumar. With three deaths in one day in the village last month, he turned to the three doctors in his family to tackle the situation.
His efforts bore fruit as the Chaupal OPD came into being. Now operating for more than 10 days, it has 13 volunteers who include doctors from Kumar’s family.
Nearly 50 patients with Covid symptoms or anything like them, come for check-up and they avail the health services without any charge.
The Indian Express report quoting Kumar said: “The main purpose was to rid people of their fears. A month ago, people were panicking, trying to get beds. And some patients were dying without proper treatment; many with mild symptoms were getting serious all of a sudden. Now, we monitor the condition of patients and advise them to get tested or admitted to a hospital as and when required.”
Working from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m., the doctors are readily available for advice over the phone throughout the day. This includes Dr Vandana Kasana Lohia, a paediatrician currently on maternity leave, who takes care of patients, especially to Covid cases in children.
Available in the facility are five oxygen cylinders, with two patients having used them so far.
Some volunteers can be seen busy handing over generic medicines, cough syrup and Vitamin C and D capsules, while others register the patients, noting down their details and doing basic checks for oxygen and pulse. There are others who deliver medicines at homes.
The cost of running the facility is being borne by the team members themselves, with some NGOs.
Talking to the media, the 58-year-old Rajabala Lohia (58) shared that she had a cold and cough while her husband was recovering from pneumonia. “We don’t know where we would go otherwise. There are long lines everywhere and no beds. We are glad we can come here as it is walking distance from our homes.”
That such selfless efforts yield results is evident in the fact that since the ‘Chaupal OPD’ started, Ghitorni has seen a single death.
