30/05/2022
“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” Mahatma Gandhi.
It was a very fulfilling and fun filled weekend. We conducted a successful free medical camp on Sunday, 29th May 2022 at village Oze, Nasik. A last minute switched from Degaon, Ratnagiri due to some unforeseen circumstances. We thank people for Oze, Nasik who agreed to let group of strangers conduct a medical camp in their village. Our host family welcomed us with open hearts and made comfortable. We were treated as family members.
Oze village is ~200Km from Navi Mumbai. We could not find an easier route due to last minute travel plans. This ended up being an 8-hour epic journey with 2 trains, 2 share taxis, and 2 state buses in 35 C degree weather. Oze is a village with population of less than 1500 and is a farming community. Even though its less than 50Km from nearby city of Nashik, it was a world away from hustle and bustle of the city. Only traffic we saw was the tractors and bullock carts!
On the day of the camp, we were not sure how our efforts will be received and how many people we will be able to see. Our team had pharmacists, engineer, nurse, and a doctor driven by a common cause of bringing quality care to remote locations. Being allowed to use the village temple was a sign of acceptance and respect. That's the reason you will see everyone without the footwear including us.
People lined up starting at 8 am, which was a surprise. I am sure this has a lot to do the efforts of villagers and volunteers. We started at 9 am, from registration to checking vitals and then to me, the doctor. We must have seen close to 100 people till 3pm without a break. From 6 y/o kid to 95 y/o great great grand mother, we served and treated everyone.
During these 6 hours, I was a doctor, an adviser, a guide, a trusted elder, and a counselor. I was diagnosing and treating people with diabetes, high blood pressure, next moment I was a pediatrician going through a thick file of medical records of a 9 y/o girl with cerebral palsy and seizures. I was a dentist telling kids to brush twice a day, I was an orthopedic doctor advising on knee and back pain. I was a trusted source for women of all ages who wanted to discuss menstrual problems, breast lump, stress of work and relationships.
We were all tired after 15 hours of travel in 2 days but happy that we again made a difference. We will continue to serve the underserved area. We want to do more, but we need more volunteers who are passionate about helping a fellow human being and trying to spread kindness in this world.
Thank you, Sharmila Sutar, Palliavi Patil, Sheetal Pawar, Pranjali Shinde, Trishul Gharat and Amit Gharat who worked tirelessly to make it a successful camp and Anil Dhatrak whose family hosted the entire team. People of Oze were kind and accommodating. We will return for another camp in the future.
