Bengaluru: IMS Foundation, in collaboration with Laghu Udyog Bharati-Karnataka, has launched the first-ever digitally-enabled ‘Clinic on Wheels’ in Bengaluru on Saturday, April 1, 2023. The initiative is a game-changer in rural healthcare, providing complete healthcare facilities at the doorstep of people in rural and tribal areas of India.
One of the key drivers and brains behind the initiative is CSR Head IMS Foundation Dr. Swapna Singh. Dr. Singh has been instrumental in conceptualising and implementing the project, which she believes will be a catalyst for making village dwellers and tribal people live healthy lives. Speaking at the Heal Rural India event on the same occasion, Dr. Swapna Singh said, “I always believed India would become a powerful nation when the people living in the villages are healthy and prosperous, so I believe ‘Clinic on Wheels’ will be the catalyst for making village dwellers and tribal people live healthy life providing a comprehensive socio-economic health model delivered at the doorstep.
The Clinic on Wheels is a 55-seater bus equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to undertake basic health screening, with provisions to take blood samples for a detailed study. It also has adequate medicines to treat basic illnesses, including common lifestyle disorders. In case of a need for a more intense treatment, the Clinic on Wheels takes the patient to the nearest Medical College Hospital. The doctors on board also brief the patient about nutrition management, healthy eating habits, and lifestyle management.
The Clinic on Wheels also does a basic family profiling of each patient to understand the socio-economic status of each family and to check their affordability factor for availing of secondary and tertiary healthcare services. The initiative has agreed with the Skill Development Department to upskill the rural and tribal population and to make them employable or develop entrepreneurial skills to make them self-sustainable.
Not just medical illness but social ills are equally or perhaps creating more damage to the socio-economic-medical well-being of a family. The Clinic on Wheels is well equipped with doctors who counsel patients who are addicted to smoking, alcohol, or even more dangerous and equally rampant drug addiction. In case of stronger addiction practices, the Clinic on Wheels takes the patient to the nearest De-Addiction Centre.
Clinic On Wheels projects include Madhurima Sewa Sanskar Foundation, Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Science, Ananta Charitable Education Society and United Phosphorus Limited. Dr. Swapna’s vision for a healthy society and her selfless attitude towards this project to bring this impossible dream to reality now was acknowledged by many. Sri Sri Sri Dr. Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamji and Shri. B L Santhosh congratulated Dr. Singh during the inauguration ceremony. Shri. B L Santhosh, National Secretary-Organisation, Bharatiya Janata Party said “Karnataka is always at the forefront of medicine. Let this be the first of many projects under her ( Dr. Swapna Singh) able leadership.
The Clinic on Wheels is an innovative and much-needed initiative that has the potential to revolutionise rural healthcare in India. CSR Head IMS Foundation Dr. Swapna Singh, who played a crucial role in the success of the project, is a hero in her own right, Dr. Singh being an impact maker and visionary, is all set to bring this initiative in Madhya Pradesh by September and eventually spreading to other parts of the country. The Clinic on Wheels is a shining example of the power of collective action and the transformative impact that it can have on society.
