Within a short time, Dr Kannan and his team have transformed the face of the hospital. At present there are 100 beds and 200 staff members including 120 well trained nurses. With an annual inflow of 3,000 new and 14,000 follow-up patients, the hospital is providing treatment also to the patients coming from the neighbouring Bangladesh.
In the early days, Dr Kannan noticed that only few patients who came for the initial check-up would come for follow-ups. It was because the majority of the patients visiting the hospital had an income of less than Rs. 3,000 (about £31) per month.
Most of these patients couldn’t afford the follow-ups. In an attempt to solve this problem, Dr Kannan and his team started the free home-based treatment of the patients.
Eventually, satellite clinics were started for those patients who are unable to travel long distances to visit the hospital. The doctors also provide phone consultations and stay in touch with patients who have returned home with the prescriptions.
‘We make efforts to offer the best treatment possible to all the patients, irrespective of their socio-economic status. No one should be denied access to treatment because they are not able to pay for the service’, says Dr Kannan.
He further adds that the hospital is run by the funds it is receiving from various organizations and individuals. The expenses keep increasing and so does the number of the patients. It is not easy to run this place proving quality treatment to so many people but the satisfaction we get from serving the community here is immense.
To find out more, read the full article on the website of The Better India.
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