Bhubaneswar: The ‘doctor of masses’ Shankar Ramchandani, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at VIMSAR, Burla, has once again drawn the attention of all across the State for another noble reason.
Famed for his Re 1 clinic at Burla in Sambalpur where he has been providing treatment to the poor, destitute, and underprivileged, the physician now opened a special facility for the farming community, named ‘Jay Kisan Clinic’.
It will operate once a week at the Re 1 clinic venue. He has reserved two hours from 6 am to 8 am every Wednesday for the farmers, who can avail of the treatment and medicine at the same cost.
The objective of the new clinic is to ensure that the farming time of the cultivators is not hampered, Dr Ramchandani said. “If any farmer calls me over phone that he is unable to visit the clinic, I would attend to him at his home. In remote areas, if they face obstacles in visiting the clinic at Burla, I would organize camp in their locality during my free time. I want the farmers not to waste their valuable time for doctor’s consultation,” he told Ommcom News over phone.
The special clinic was inaugurated at the hands of a farmer two days ago. “I am just a physician. But, the real owners of the clinic are farmers. I am privileged that it was inaugurated at the hands of a farmer,” he added.
On the inaugural day, the medicine specialist attended as many as 118 patients from various regions across the district.
The idea of opening a special clinic struck his mind when he came across many ailing patients during his campaign against Paraquat weedicide in rural areas of Bargarh and Sambalpur. A that time, many from the farming community approached him to do something for farmers, which encouraged him to launch the new initiative.
He said many of his students have been inspired by the innovative idea of serving people. “I can’t force anyone to join me. But, I will welcome the students who spontaneously come to the clinic to serve poor patients. They can also get a good opportunity to utilize their leisure time for practice,” the doctor said.
