Tiger80 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 2008. A bridge collapses in east Delhi. Two labourers are killed and 16 are injured. The local hospital simply administers basic first aid. They are let off. Some of them return home to die. A witness to the accident, retired lab technician Omkar Nath, decided that this wonÃÕ happen again. He had an idea. Ū thought, why not collect medicines for the poor? recalls the short, wiry man. ůo one else seems to be doing it. According to a World Health Organisation report, 649 million people in India have no access to medicines. Nath, through his efforts, collects medicines worth Rs 5-10 lakh per month from Delhi alone. He distributes these free of cost at 12 charitable clinics and two government hospitals. If a lower-income family spends roughly Rs 500 on healthcare, his efforts are benefiting at least 1,000 people. NathÃÔ medicine bank, Raahat Hi Raahat, has been in operation for the past four years. Crippled at the age of 10, the 75 year-old travels daily by bus and foot from a slum near the Palam airport to collect donations. Shouting for free medicines on thoroughfares or outside bungalows, despite the barbs, he says, is the easy part. Ÿhen servants shoo me away saying my shouts are disturbing their babus newspaper read, I donÃÕ mind. If youÃÓe on the street to beg, you should leave shame at home. Besides, IÃÎ not asking for bread; all I want is medicine. But there were other complications. Nath, no doctor or pharmacist himself, had no idea if or how he could stock medicine. A lawyer told him he would get into trouble if he did. So, he tied up with clinics such as Dr SL JainÃÔ in Rajinder Nagar and Dr Naseem MerazÃÔ at Matia Mahal, bringing his collection to them for inspection. The NGO Goonj donated him a fridge to store his medicines for short periods. Nath maintains a work schedule: weekends are for sorting and record-keeping and Mondays to Thursdays for begging. Ten days ago, he bought a R 400-magnifying glass to help him read medicine labels. He even rents an extra room for R 2,000 per month plus electricity for his medicine cabinets. NathÃÔ initiative is striking, given his own history of crises. Without any income or savings, this father of two has had to wash dishes in hotels, stay on railway platforms and support his 41-year-old mentally impaired son. However, Delhi has warmed up to him. A 2-3 minute spot on television has granted him a respectability of sorts. He is no longer seen as a Chaplinesque tramp or a con artist. His saffron shirt, on which his contact numbers (9250243298, 9971926518) are printed, has made him a familiar face on campuses such as the Janki Devi Memorial College in west Delhi which supports his mission. Nath names a Mrs Malati of Vasant Kunj, a retired corporate officer; an Anupam Dev, a chartered accountant at Moolchand; Sudnya Kulkarni, a college teacher; as some of his benefactors. Sometimes they gift him a bag or a pair of shoes. Each meeting with them of course, ends with a parcel of unused medicines or a new chain of contacts. Å®y medicine bank is always the basis of the relationship. I donÃÕ want to spoil my setting, he says. He has also learnt to work his contacts. Apart from his medicine collection efforts, Nath has gone the extra mile to help the poor. Recently, he helped a handicapped man get a tricycle. But he keeps the proceedings clean. Ū just make the call, and put in the request. The person in need himself goes in to collect. The medicine bank, however, needs new blood. Dr SL Jain, says he needs ÅÂt least a vehicle, a team. A medicine bank is a great idea. For Babli, the wife of a roadside hawker who will be going home with a healthier child, NathÃÔ trek all over the city has not been in vain. His medicines are a life-saver, reaching the people they should. Omkar NathÃÔ name is mentioned in bold print as a donor at Dr JainÃÔ clinic. And thatÃÔ just the beginning, it seems. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Meet-the-poor-man-s-Medicine-Baba/Article1-799045.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prakat Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 :clap: What a great, inspiring story! This should be done in all parts of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
achilles Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Great story :clap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralCat Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Amazing stuff, what a great story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old guy Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 respect for the man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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