Mai Mangeshkar Hospital's Surhud outpatient department sees around 300 patients every month.
About six months ago, 37-year-old engineer Pratik Iyer (name changed) walked into the outpatient department (OPD) of Mai Mangeshkar Hospital in Warje. With no major complaints except for a little blood in the urine, he didn’t even think he needed a doctor. But he decided to consult one as he knew the consultation fee was just Rs10 at the Suhrud OPD, an initiative of the hospital to discourage people from self-medication.
Dr Shirish Bhatlavande, who manages the OPD on weekdays between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm, said, “He didn’t have any associated symptoms like fever and burning sensation, but I suspected something amiss. He wasn’t ready, but we convinced him to undergo an ultrasound and later a CT scan. He had a 10-cm malignant tumor in his left kidney. Fortunately, it was in stage I and the left kidney was removed before the cancer could spread.”
The clinic that opened in November 2011 barely saw two to three patients attending the OPD on an average day in the first few months. Today, the average footfall is around 300 patients every month.
Dr Bhatlavande said the clinic’s success can be measured on three counts – it’s ability to connect with families, encourage people to stop self-medication and early detection of life-threatening ailments. “Generally, people ignore the early symptoms as minor problems. In most cases, they self-medicate and go to the nearest chemist for medicine for relief of minor problems. But the chemists doesn’t maintain a record of what you take and overabuse of certain drugs can lead to drug resistance, which is dangerous. Sometimes mild signals are warning bells for big problems,” he added.
He recounted the case of 56-year-old Jalgaon resident Mohan Patil, who came to the clinic with a history of breathlessness for a few weeks. “After a check-up, I wanted further investigations. As he had little money, he got a trust to run the tests. He was detected with three blockages in the heart, including one serious blockage needing immediate bypass surgery. We did the same at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital at concessional rates and saved a life,” beamed Bhatlavande.
Paediatrician and hospital administrator Dr Surpriya Kulekar said the idea is to make more people take treatment from qualified doctors than try home remedies. “It eliminates the need to see specialists for small problems like eye pain, fever, flu and knee pain. People self-medicate because they don’t wish to spend money on expensive doctors or wait in queues. By paying Rs10, a person gets to consult a family doctor and gets basic medicines for three days at no extra cost. There is no income criteria for patients and anyone can walk into the clinic without hesitation.”
The OPD also offers services to those who just need a friendly advice from a doctor.
@alifiyakhan
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