Smile on Wheels - Mobile Charitable Hospital for Poor and Underprivileged communities

Hajrath Barar
Madhya Pradesh

“I am recovering slowly, thanks to the doctor who cured me.”

When asthma and skin problem worsened, 65 year old Hajrath Barar had to discontinue his work in the nearby farms as a daily wager. Hajrath was bound to stay at home, causing his wife to work in the fields to fulfill the basic household needs.

Due to lack of access to medical facilities in the village, the residents had to travel around 12 km to reach the nearest Community Health Centre (CHC) in Chanderi when they suffered health problems. People like Hajrath avoided this, because they could not afford to lose a day’s wage.

Hajrath’s problems were identified by Dr. R K Sharma, who heads the project team of Smile on Wheels clinic in Ashok Nagar. Under his prescription, effective tablets and ointments were provided to him, and after 15 days Hajrath’s health started improving.

Hajrath Barar has now recommenced his work in the farms. He continues to take his medicines for asthma and also takes part in mobilising other villagers in seeking healthcare from the Smile on Wheels.

Mahesh
Telengana

“Our children always complained that we did not do enough for them and then they left us in our old age.”

Mahesh and his wife have five daughters. They raised them with equal love and never did they regret not having a son. His children grew up, got married and moved to different places. They began blaming their parents for not providing enough for them and slowly over time stopped coming to see them altogether. Both Mahesh and his wife began to suffer from old age related problems and even when their mother was on her death bed none of the children came.

Mahesh’s health too started to suffer after the demise of his wife and with no one to care for him he became weaker. It was during one of the community counseling sessions that Mahesh came to know about Smile on Wheels clinic and began to attend it regularly. His health has improved and he also talks to the volunteers and jokes around with them. He tries to keep happy and healthy like the doctor asked him to.

Savitha
Chennai

“We are old and poor. Our health is failing. We only find relief in each other.”

82 year old Savitha lives with her husband in a tin shanty in the middle of a congested and unhygienic Chennai slum. When their children refused to take care of them they had no option but to suffer silently. There was no one who could provide them warmth. Her husband is slowly losing his eye sight and both husband and wife are suffering from many other health problems due to their age. The families in slums like these do not have time to care for diseases or even if they do they do not have a choice because they have to earn their daily bread and look after their families. Most people in these slums suffer in silence, often losing their lives to curable diseases.

The Smile on Wheels mobile hospital which regularly visits the community has managed to keep the people healthy of late through regular visits and proper care and distribution of free medicines. Savitha and her husband receive timely check-ups and are healthier.

Tribal Community
Kalahandi, Odisha

When a lot of children and adults began to fall sick at regular intervals the tribal community at Kalahandi, Odisha the people did not know who to turn to. Their regular visits to the local quacks increased but they could hardly provide any relief to the people. The residents of the area work as daily wage laborers and either cannot afford to go to a doctor or do not want to go to the doctor and lose a day’s wage. These kinds of health problems have been a common problem in the area because of unhygienic lifestyles and continuous neglect of minor health problems.

When the Smile on Wheels services started in the area it bought relief to 42 of the remotest of villages in Kalahandi. Launched in June 2015, the project has already benefitted a population of over 20,000 people. Various sensitization programs to spread awareness about health related issues are conducted regularly. Volunteers and ground staff pay door to door visits to create awareness about the benefits of availing a qualified doctor’s advice in case of an ailment.