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A young patient tells it all to Dr. Asha Hegde during the ongoing free health screening at the district hospital, in Dimapur on Monday.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Jan. 21: As a state with inadequate medical facilities, Nagaland is not new to organising free medical camps conducted by professionals from outside the state reaching out to offer free health screening and surgery. One such free health screening camp, a three day event at the district hospital of Dimapur, got underway on Mon. Jan. 21.
The camp is being organised on the initiative of the state’s Governor PB Acharya, and co-sponsored by Indian Medical Association and the Chetana Trust of Mangaluru, Karnataka. The camp is for children of the age group 0-18 years. It aims at early detection and management of the four D’s—defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies, and development delay, including disabilities prevalent in children.
Dr. UV Shenoy, a child developmental interventionist and a consultant paediatrician from Mangalore is the team leader of the eight visiting doctors. Shenoy said Nagaland was the first state where the Chetana Trust of Mangaluru was organising a health camp other than the camps that were organised in Karnataka.
Shenoy said that the team had accepted the invitation of the state’s governor Acharya with a ‘view to develop brotherhood beyond their state’ and also to allow them to work as ‘doctors without border.’
Shenoy spoke about the process of providing treatment to children who are diagnosed with certain deficiency. He said, ‘If the facilities in the state are inadequate, the Trust will refer the patient to a closer hospital with adequate medical facilities available and the expenses will be borne by the Trust.’
Professor of paediatrics at Manipal University, Dr. Asha Hegde said that the team will look into the early detection and intervention issues, and assess the needs of the people. “We have a long term plan and activity for the future which will follow only after the detection,” she said.
The first day of the free health screening response was lukewarm. However, it was expected that the remaining two days, on Jan. 22 and 23, would have more parents; and that guardians would respond positively to avail the free health facility. After Dimapur, the team will conduct one at the Naga Hospital in Kohima during Jan. 24 to 25.
The other doctors are Dr. KR Kamath, orthopedician; Dr. Sabita, gynaecologist; Dr. Amitesh Narayan, physiotherapist; Dr. Padma Baliga, child educationist; and Anil Ramanujam, ophthalmic specialist.