20-21 / 64
I
nspired by our beloved chairman, Mr B. M. Khaitan,
who seeded the noble thought in our minds to help the
differently abled people, we initiated the programme, ‘Aid
to the Disabled (Foot Disorders)’ at Phulbari Central Hospital
under the guidance of Mr S. K. Mawandia. The very noble
thought of helping the disabled besides our daily routine work
made us impatient to do the least we could for them.
In end March we had a meeting at Guwahati with Mr R. K.
Poddar, organizational head of the globally reputed Bhagwan
Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (Guwahati branch) who
showed great interest in helping the disabled through
their organization.
BMVSS is a Jaipur based non-profit organization established
by Mr D. R.Mehta in 1975 with a clear vision of helping the
disabled person regain his mobility and dignity by fitting him
with a high quality durable artificial limb and other aids and
appliances.
As an initiation, all our North Bank estates were advised to
identify the people with foot disabilities within the estate’s
population, who could perform day to day activities on their
own with a little bit of help from such appliances. All our
estate doctors took much effort in locating 154 such people.
An assessment camp was organized at Phulbari Central
Hospital on 30 June and 1 July 2014 where a team of experts
from BMVSS Guwahati assessed those differently abled
people and suggested various types of appliances, artificial
limbs etc to correct their disabilities. Necessary procedures
and mechanisms were done
to prepare different types of
appliances meant for each
person.
As the appliances were
prepared and ready for use,
the selected people were
advised to attend the camp
at Phulbari Central Hospital
on 18 and 19 August 2014,
when the appliances were
fitted and demonstrated to get the best result.
Of the 145 cases selected to be provided with various types
of appliances, 11 were fitted with an artificial limb ( Jaipur
foot), 52 were given crutches and calipers, 15 were given
compensatory shoes, while wheelchairs and tricycles were
suggested for 67 people.
Those fitted with the
appliances were asked to walk
on the ramp as a procedure to
get comfortable and habituated
with the equipment. Initially
staggering, they tried to stand
upright and that gave us
satisfaction.
People young and old,
adolescent boys and girls, who
came in crawling or limping,
once fitted with the Jaipur foot,
stood up and walked out of the fitting room. The initial
awkwardness with the artificial limb turned to confidence and
the faint smile soon turned into a smile of true happiness.
One must mention Aftab
Hussain, aged 18 years,
from Ameribari area of
Phulbari T.E., who lost
both his legs in a train
accident a few years ago.
When he got himself
fitted with Jaipur feet and
could stand upright and
walk slowly, although with
great effort to start with,
his parents’ delight knew
no bounds.
Another patient, Debojani Behera, a
young, energetic, attractive girl from one
of our Mangaldai estates, was fitted with
calipers. While walking cheerfully on the
ramp, she informed us that she was doing
an undergraduate course in a local college.
With extreme determination and will power she has done a
lot for herself with a disabled foot, but now, with the
appliance fitted, it was a joy to see her walking with great
confidence and ease.
The motto we keep in mind is to help the disabled…to make
our society beautiful. Our heart is filled with satisfaction
when the disabled walk normally along with others in the
crowd and the nation moves forward.
All those involved in extending help to the disabled – doctors,
executives, senior ladies – had a feeling of real happiness seeing
them walking on their own . Among them were Mr Prabhakar
Chaudhary from our Guwahati office, who facilitated the
whole programme and Mr Mawandia, for whom the happiness
of the beneficiaries was of the greatest importance.
Let us work without attachment to convert a noble thought
into reality, and thus achieve eternal happiness.
JANUARY 2015 21
20 JANUARY 2015
~
Dr P. K. Barman, MS
Phulbari Central Hospital
“
Compassion is the basis of all morality.
”
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Aiding the Disabled