Team News Riveting
Father wanted him to open a big nursing home, but doctor Shankar Ramchandani of Sambalpur in Odisha was on a different mission.
It was to serve the poor and the underprivileged. The commitment to humanity propelled the doctor to open “One Rupee” Clinic in Burla city of Sambalpur. “Saw how people struggled to get medical aid amid COVID crisis & I wanted to help beyond my duty. I charge Re 1 so they don’t feel they’re availing free service,” he told a news agency recently.
The clinic is located at the Kachha Market area in Burla. The consultation timing is from 7 AM to 8 AM in the morning and 6 PM to 7 PM in the evening. “I am a doctor of the masses and not the classes,” Dr Ramchandani added.
His late father Brahmanand Ramchandani had asked him to set up a nursing home. “But a nursing home requires huge investment and it is not possible to provide treatment to poor people at Rupee 1 in a nursing home. Hence, I decided to open “One-Rupee” clinic,” the doctor revealed how the centre that had hogged the headlines came into being.
Dr Shankar Ramchandani, who drew the attention of all and received widespread appreciation when he took a leprosy patient carrying in his arms and dropped him in his house in 2019, joined the department of medicine at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla city after pursuing his medical course as senior resident.
Since the senior residents were not allowed to do private practice, Dr Ramchandani had to wait to cherish his dream of opening “One Rupee Clinic.” But he was promoted as assistant professor recently that made him eligible to do private practice after duty hours. The 38-year-old doctor was in action, took a rented house and started the clinic with limited resources at his command last Friday. On the first day itself, 38 patients turned up for consultation.
Dr Ramchandani’s wife, Sikha, a dental surgeon and also a helping hand towards husband’s noble cause.
