NEW DELHI: The queue outside the MRI counter at the dispensary in Gurdwara Bangla Sahib near Connaught Place grows longer as patients and their kin wait to collect the reports. In the crowd is 78-year-old Jasvinder Singh, who has come from Shastri Nagar to collect his wife’s MRI report. Ask him why at the gurdwara and not a clinic, Singh smiles, “Why not! I can get it done here for just Rs 50 instead of Rs 5,000 at private labs. Everyone from economically disadvantaged families come here.” Not only is this facility a boon for poor people, but everyone, not just Sikhs, are welcome. Singh, however, learnt of this only a few weeks ago. “Over the many years of living in Delhi, I hadn’t an idea about this dispensary. I come to the gurdwara for prayers but hadn’t noticed the clinic,” he said. The school van driver said he couldn’t have afforded an MRI scan for his wife if not for this clinic. Though the clinic opens for the day at 8.30am, people start gathering from 6am. Among those who came early and were awaiting the MRI report and consultations with a doctor were Mohammad Shamim and his 18-year-old daughter. The latter has been diagnosed with a bone marrow disease and needs surgery. She is being treated at AIIMS, but the MRI appointment that Shamim got for his daughter was six months later. “We couldn’t possibly wait for six months for the MRI. Since private labs are expensive, I began searching on the net for an affordable diagnostic lab and discovered the gurdwara clinic. I have to pay Rs 6 lakh for the surgery and can’t spend much money on other things,” said Shamim, who makes purses for a living in Nabi Karim in Paharganj. “Babaji ka mehr hai ki yaha do din mein ho gaya (By god’s grace, we had to wait just two days for the test) and got the report card the next day.” Last year, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) launched the low-cost diagnostic centre on the premises of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. While the poor pay Rs 50 for the MRI scan, the general category people pay Rs 1,400, still a lot less than the Rs 5,000-8,000 in private clinics and hospitals. Domestic worker Guddi of Mandawli was waiting with her 16-year-old daughter Babli for their turn at the gynaecologist’s office. Her landlord suggested the facility to her. “We cannot afford the private clinics, and the government hospitals or dispensaries are in a bad shape. Also, getting an appointment takes a lot of time. My daughter needs to undergo a minor surgery, and we are trying to find out how it can be done at a lower cost,” explained Guddi. DSGMC is working to expand the healthcare facilities. Bhupinder Bhullar, chairman of the Bangla Sahib Clinic, said that more departments would be opened in the next few months. “Our focus is on cardiology. We will also upgrade the diagnostic labs and the software. The ophthalmology department is also being expanded,” said Bhullar. DSGMC offers medical facilities at other gurdwaras too. In March 2021, it started the Guru Harkrishan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Kidney Dialysis Hospital at Gurdwara Bala Sahib near Ashram, which offers free kidney dialysis. Starting with 100 dialysis machines, now around 60 dialysis machines are functioning and around 300 people come every day. It was the pandemic that led to DSGMC offering healthcare facilities to needy people. Said Harmeet Singh Kalka, president, DSGMC: “The idea for a dialysis centre appeared when we were visiting grief-stricken families during the pandemic and realised so many didn’t have money to access healthcare. People were thrown out of jobs and families had lost their only earning members. The gurdwara committee trust decided to bear the cost for maintenance and doctors’ salaries.” Branded medicines at Bala Sahib cost 30-35% lower than in the market while generic medicines are available for much less. “We have two oxygen plants, one donated by France and one that we procured. Every bed is equipped with oxygen and other machines and can easily be converted into an ICU facility whenever needed,” said Kalka. “Earlier, we didn’t have permission for an operation theatre, but we do now. ” Kalka said that DSGMC has begun the process of getting cardio care equipment such as ECG machines, TMT stress test systems and bio-monitors. The intent is to provide free consultation services to 400-500 heart patients daily. “There will be a pre-testing facility and heart stent placement surgeries with patients being charged minimal prices,” he said. “We are going to open a new digital lab with the latest technology this week. Since our goal is to serve people, we keep our fees as low as possible.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/beyond-faith-mri-scan-at-affordable-cost-at-gurdwara/articleshow/95039210.cms