R.K. HIV AIDS Research & Care Centre announced the mega healthcare movement, ‘Swasth Zindagi’, the world’s largest medical camp to be held on February 19, 2017 at MMRDA Grounds, BKC in Mumbai. Over 52 hospitals from all over Maharashtra, 5,000 doctors, 20,000 paramedical doctors and volunteers are all set to join the movement catering to the needy-class, which is unaware of the benefits & medical schemes they are eligible for.

The biggest challenge in implementing the primary health care principles is of equitable distribution of health care to all. The rural masses and urban slum dwellers are most vulnerable to lack of access to health care and R.K. HIV AIDS Research & Care Centre aims to bridge this gap.

“The underprivileged & slum dwellers in India continue to have poor access to basic determinants of good health as well as to the curative services from government sources during illness as the masses are indifferent or not aware of the various medical schemes and benefits available to them. ‘Swasth Zindagi’ by R.K HIV is one step towards this cause”, said Dr. Dharmendra Kumar, chairman, R.K.HIV AIDS Research & Care Centre.

All major diseases will be covered at the medical camp like kidney or liver ailments, ENT ailments, HIV, Cancer, Heart ailments etc.

Over the past 5 years R.K HIV has successfully conducted 7971 medical camps in which over 37,71,578 patients were screened in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha. A cross-sectional survey in an urban slum and surrounding rural areas was conducted to understand the various health hazards affecting the key socio-demographic patterns and the precautionary measures and actions taken if any by the class.

More than 50 per cent of respondents were living in poor housing and insanitary conditions, besides the burden of communicable diseases and malnutrition (especially in children) and add to the risk of lifestyle diseases. More than 60 per cent sought treatment from private medical facilities for their own ailments. It was found that 35 per cent of the people sought treatment for general health issues, 20 per cent for eye checkups, dental health accounts to 11 per cent, malnutrition 21 per cent, arthritis 8 per cent, cardiac aliments 6 per cent, tuberculosis 7 per cent, gastro-intestinal issues 3 per cent, HIV tests 2 per cent, gynaecological problems 4.5 per cent and surgical procedures 3 per cent. It has been noted that 16 per cent medical cases among all have returned for a follow up treatment and 23 per cent patients from surgical category out of which 15 per cent of them have been referred to various hospitals under different Government schemes at reduced cost and some of them at free of cost. The significant less percentage of masses making use of these schemes shows lack of knowledge or initiative to access health services among slum dwellers and rural population. In last 2 years R. K. HIV has covered 4.5 lakh people under the scheme of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Surakhha Yojna.

The camp has brought together the who’s who of the medical fraternity under one umbrella. Hospitals like JJ, Sion hospital, KEM, Cooper, DY Patil Medical College and Hospital, Surya hospital along with pharma companies like Aristo Pharma, Alkem Pharma, Ashoka Drugs and Chemicals Pharma Co. and Social organizations like Wockhardt Foundation, Vande Matram & Rizwan Adatia Foundation, NCORD, Humanishi Swarlipi Charitable Trust, DRBA Charitable Trust, STAP Media alongwith Wellness TV & My Dentist have supported this noble cause. The mega event is also supported by Mumbadevi Charitable Trust and Vaishnav Charitable Trust among others.

Throughout the year R.K. HIV AIDS Research & Care Centre will be undertaking several developmental programs like adopting 300 villages across India this year. R.K.HIV has taken up the mantle to train one lakh women across Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh etc to teach them how to tackle various medical emergencies, health issues etc. In a first-of-its-kind initiative the mega-event will also witness free distribution of medical Insurance worth Rs. 2 lakh to every person registered at the medical camp under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Surakhsha Yojana(PMJSY). More than 50,000 spectacles will be also be distributed to the masses.

Being a doctor, it’s a moral responsibility to take care of the less privileged and vulnerable community of the society. Exactly this is objective of R.K.HIV AIDS Research & Care Centre, a charitable organization which is working round the clock in the field of Prevention, Detection & Management of HIV/AIDS patients in India. Incorporating the latest technologies, they have started mobile vans viz. hospitals on wheels to provide medical assistance and treatment on the go, relief works during natural calamities like floods/earthquakes, awareness programs on HIV Aids with commercial sex workers from Mumbai, Delhi etc, research on health issues rampant in the society etc are conducted by the organization in the past.