Report on 8th Medical Camp

Medical and Eye Check up Camp on 19th and 20th Dec 2009 in tribal villages in Birbhum Dist, West Bengal.   

Team - 5 doctors, 3 medical assistants, 3 Yoga teachers, a 9 member team from Shankar Netralaya for eye treatment and 34 volunteers including 6 Kalyan ashram karyakarta, family members, sahayogies and  kids.

Equipments & medicines -16 cartoons of medicines partly donated and partly purchased at very good discount. sets of BP instruments, weighing machines, a Mobile Eye Care Vehicle sent by Sankar Netralaya fitted with generator, eye testing equipments, Spectacle frames and lenses and an equipment for producing tailor-made spectacles on the spot.

Highlights :

• Day - I : 585 patients were provided with various kind medical treatment at the camp. For many of the patients this was first experience with doctors. 
• Day - II : Treatment provided to 470 patients. 
• Low weight (32-40 Kg) due to malnutrition was evident everywhere. 
• Eye department checked about 150 patients and provided on spot spectacles to 35; other persons needing glasses will be sent spectacles in about one month. 
• Cataract and other Eye related surgery was scheduled on 30^th Dec at  Shankar Netralay for the patients diagnosed with such ailments.
• Visit to Tarapith for darshan.
  

Special thanks to Mr B P Jalan (Chairman of advisory committee of Shankar Netralaya, Kolkata) for participating in camp activities along with his family members for full duration of the camp and sponsoring about 170 spectacles to the tribal brethren.

Special observations :
(1)  In absence of water only one crop can be harvested and that to on part of the land owned by villagers.
(2) Most of the families get job for avg of 50-100 days during the year.

(3) An total annual income of only 2000/- to 8000/-.
(4) Decided that Kalyan ashram will provide villagers with guidance and assistance in preparation of water reservoir in part of their land and plant trees around it to harvest water.