Appeal for Doctors to serve survivors of Jaipur blasts

Can you be “on call” for our sisters and brothers in Jaipur?
If so, please provide your name, specialisation, and location.  Here is a message from our friends working in Jaipur:

Currently there is no need for any doctors to come to Jaipur as many have come from all over Rajasthan.

However in the coming weeks there will be a need for specialists of different kinds- particularly those dealing with bullet injuries, disabilities, trauma counselling. We need a list of doctors willing to help the victims in future if required.

Please help out by sending us ( aid.delhi@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) names of doctors, their areas of specialisation, location and nature of  help they can render. This list will be kept purely for use on a need basis and will be given to doctors in Jaipur who may refer some of their patients to people on the lists. A charity concert is being planned sometime in June to raise funds for the treatment of victims.

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May 22, 2008 | Filed Under announcements, medical camps | Leave a Comment 

FREE BINAYAK SEN MEDICAL CAMP AT KOVALAM, TAMIL NADU

MAY 4th

The Committee for the Release of Dr. Binayak Sen, Chennai in partnership with the The Chennai Metropolitan Construction workers and Unorganized workers union, Kovalam held a medical camp at Kottai Colony in Kovalam village about 45 Kms from Chennai. It was decided that this series of camps would be planned monthly for at least a year.

The medicines were purchased at concessional rates with support from the Tamil Nadu Medical Representatives Association. Three doctors Dr. Aravindan, Dr. Gurumurthy and Dr. Rakhal Gaitonde saw patients and manned the pharmacy. All medicines and consultations were done free.


The camp was preceded by a short inaugural session where the traditional leaders of the village were present, after a welcome by Comrade Srinivasan, Dr. Rakhal spoke about Dr. Binayak Sen, his arrest and the inspiration behind holding this camp in solidarity with him. Dr. Rakhal stressed that this was not merely a camp to dole out medicines but was infact an opportunity for the people to share their problems, violations of rights that are going on on a day to day basis, come to know of your rights and entitlements and plan action for getting the same. The example of the National Rural Health Mission gaurantees at the village level was given. Dr. Rakhal mentioned the various entitlements as per the NRHM – the community was surprised as no one was aware of any of these. There was then reporting of the irregularities in the maternal benefit scheme of the Tamil Nadu government. The people also raised issues regarding the redefining of the poverty line in various government orders in an attempt to fix eligibility criteria. There was even a proposal to hold a large public enquiry on the issue.

After the inaugural session nearly 55 patients consulted the doctors. While most were common ailments the doctors were struck by the number of alcohol related problems that they came across. The doctors had time to speak to the patients as well as the members of the union who have promised to follow up the various patients who need follow up.

The community appreciated the effort and said that they would all mobilise a much larger number of people the next month.

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May 8, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports | Leave a Comment 

Bangalore:Medical camp in support of imprisoned doctor

The Hindu -26th April 2008
Bangalore, Staff reporter

Instead of sloganeering and rhetoric, groups of doctors across the country hit upon the idea of organising free medical camps to express their opposition against the imprisonment of human rights activist Binayak Sen.

To highlight what they termed an unfair arrest, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as People’s health movement and Medico Friends Circle organised one such camp at LR Nagar in Koramangala here on Friday.

Dr. Sen, vice-president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), was arrested at Bilaspur in Chattisgarh in May 2007, on the charge of being linked to naxalites. Dr. Sen is known for his work among the poor. He is credited with setting up a unique 400 bed hospital run by a workers cooperative in a backward area of Chattisgarh.

Two of the six doctors at the camp, N. Devadasan and his wife Rupa, both public health specialists, were associates of Dr Sen. Dr Devadasan is a fellow alumni from CMC, Vellore.

“We were shocked when we heard of his arrest because he is a very gentle person and one who does not believe in violence. Associating him with naxalites seems illogical,” said Dr Devadasan. “To a person such as Dr Sen, it will not matter if his patient is a naxalite or a capitalist, because it would be his primary duty as a doctor to save anyone he can, ” he said.

“He is always humble, always simple. Never a very vocal person, Dr Sen was always action-oriented,” said SJ Chander, a social scientist and member of the People’s Health Movement.

The camp was inaugurated by Hassan Mansoor, State convenor for the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, and popular comedian Sriram, both of whom sought prevention of abuse of human rights in all forms.

Referring to people arriving for the camp, activist P. Robert said, “This stream will keep up the whole day. Consultation and medication will be provided for as long as possible. Such aid is also provided in many Free Binayak Clinics that have been set up throughout the country.”

Renukamma, a resident said, “Going to normal clinics cost us at least Rs 200 in consultation and medication charges. So the free camp means a lot to us.”

This camp will be held next month at the same venue. Local people have offered to contribute to such camps.

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April 26, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports, medical camps | Leave a Comment 

Kerala: MEDICAL CAMPS FOR DR BINAYAK SEN’S RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE
19 April 2008

The Kerala Swatantra Matsyathoyilali Federation (KSMTF) and Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign have decided to hold free medical camps in Kerala in a unique show of support for the release of well known health and human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen.

On 14th May 2007, almost a year ago, Dr Sen was arrested by the Chattisgarh police under the draconian ‘Unlawful Activities Prevention Act’ on false charges of being a ‘Maoist’.

Almost a year later now Dr Sen continues to be in jail and hearings of the case against him in the Chattisgarh High Court have commenced. In the meanwhile Dr Sen, who has already lost 15 kilos in just ten months of imprisonment and is in poor health, languishing in jail for the sole crime of working with the poor and defending democratic rights.

“ The arrest of Dr Sen is a case of high handed behaviour of the BJP ruled Chattisgarh government against an internationally renowned doctor with three decades of public service” said T.Peter, President, KSMTF, C.Sarat Chandran, film maker and Satya Sivaraman of the Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign in a statement.

An alumnus of the Christian Medical College and of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr Sen is a respected physician much honoured for his self-sacrificing commitment to social causes. In December 2007, the Indian Academy of Social Sciences conferred on him the R. R. Keithan Gold Medal, as an “indefatigable defender of human rights and Gandhian social activist of rare courage and dedication”. Currently, he has been nominated for the Jonathan Mann Award 2008, the highest international award for health professionals excelling in human rights activities.

KSMTF plans to join health and human rights activists around India who are campaigning for Dr Sen’s release through a series of Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps to arouse public awareness about his case.

Over 125 men, women and children attended the first Free Binayak Sen Medical Camp held in New Delhi at the Jai Hind basti, a colony of ragpickers and domestic workers. Other camps are planned every month for the rest of 2008 in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Trivandrum and Kolkata.

The medical camps are also part of an effort to take forward Dr Sen’s innovative public health work to new areas and highlight the issues of nutrition, child health and the link between socio-economic rights and health. India has one of the worst health indicators in the world, even lower than that of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the areas of infant and maternal mortality.

T.Peter President, KSMTF Ph: 9447429243
C.Sarat Chandran Filmmaker 09446426433
Satya Sivaraman Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign Ph:09818514952

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April 19, 2008 | Filed Under Press Release, medical camps | Leave a Comment 

BHOPAL ACTIVISTS SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH FREE BINAYAK SEN CAMPAIGN

FREE DR BINAYAK SEN CAMPAIGN
PRESS RELEASE
16 April 2008

In a show of solidarity with the campaign for the release of Dr Binayak Sen, a delegation of activists representing the Bhopal gas tragedy survivors visited the second Free Binayak Sen Medical Camp in New Delhi on 13 April.

Speaking to members of the Jai Hind community, where the medical camp was organized, Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action talked about Dr Sen’s important contribution to public health in Chattisgarh and his work on human rights. Dr Sen, renowned internationally for his humanitarian work, is currently detained by the Chattisgarh government on false charges of aiding the underground Maoist movement.

“To arrest a person of Dr Sen’s record of public service, non-violent social work and deep commitment to the poor is a complete travesty of justice” said Satinath Sarangi. He offered to hold medical camps in Bhopal in support of Dr Sen’s release through the Sambhavana clinic, which caters to over 30,000 people still suffering from the after effects of the gas disaster of 3 December 1984.

Other activists from Bhopal talked about the problems facing the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster. Around 300 such survivors, who have walked over 800 kilometers from Bhopal to New Delhi, are in the national capital to highlight their demands for setting up a Special Commission on Bhopal to address various issues affecting local people and to prosecute Dow Chemicals which inherited the criminal and other liabilities of Union Carbide, the US multinational responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy.

At the Free Binayak Sen Medical Camp over 150 patients from the Jai Hind community were treated for a variety of ailments – many of them linked to low nutrition, poor quality of drinking water and sanitation available in the area. The camp was organized by the Delhi based Sajha Manch and its associated organisations as part of a nationwide initiative for the release of popular health and human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen.

“Training local youth in basic principles of medical care will be helpful to them as well as the community in general ” said Dr Jacob Puliyal, one of the doctors volunteering his services for the camp. Doctors participating in the Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps have offered to provide such training to youth from the Jai Hind community and this is expected to commence in May this year.

The initiative, of holding monthly Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps for the urban and rural poor, in cities and towns around the country – is meant to raise public awareness about Dr Sen’s detention under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and call for his unconditional release.

The camps are also part of an effort to take forward Dr Sen’s innovative public health work to new areas and highlight the issues of nutrition, child health and the link between socio-economic rights and health. According to a recent report by the news channel IBN/CNN over 6000 children die every day due to malnutrition in India, a situation worse than prevailing in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other Free Binayak Sen Medical Camps are planned among urban poor communities for April in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore and Kolkata.

For further information contact:

  • Dunu Roy, New Delhi qadeeroy at vsnl.com Ph: 9910687627
  • Satya Sivaraman, New Delhi satyasagar at gmail.com Ph: 9818514952
  • Dr Rakhal Gaitonde, Chennai subharakhal at gmail.com Ph: 9940246089
  • Dr Punyabrata Gun, Kolkata shramajibiswasthya at yahoo.co.in Ph: 9830922194
  • Dr N.Devadasan, Bangalore deva at devadasan.com Ph: 9448491355

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April 16, 2008 | Filed Under Press Release | Leave a Comment 

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