Trichy :

It was similar to a full-fledged hospital operating out of a college premises. More than 3,000 people belonging to all walks of life thronged the Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College premises on Saturday for a special medical camp organized to mark chief minister J Jayalalitha’s 66th birthday which falls next week.

The special camp was conducted by the Chennai-based Sri Ramachandra Medical College Hospital. A team of 117 doctors and support staff came all the way from Chennai for the purpose.

Special vehicles from important points in the city such as the central and the Chatiram bus stands ferried people to the camp where all medical facilities are available under one roof. Even high-end equipment such as scanners are installed at the venue.

At the neatly arranged stalls patients were first registered and screened. Thereafter, they were taken to the concerned department by volunteers. Doctors of various specializations provided free consultations. Basic diagnostic tests were done free of cost. To add to this, medicines were also provided free of cost for one week. Spectacles and hearing aids were given to poor patients. Medicines worth Rs 7 lakh were disbursed at the counters, said the doctors.

Serious cases were referred to the nearby hospitals or to the Chennai hospital, said the doctors. Two cancer and cardiac-related cases were found.

Totally 3,100 people attended the camp on the first day. The special camp, which will conclude on Sunday, was inaugurated by the minister for khadi and village industries T P Poonachi in the presence of district collector Jayashree Muralidharan here on Saturday.

“We are getting good response for the special camp. It is as if we have shifted our hospital from Chennai to Trichy and a new branch has emerged here,” said Dr S Anandan, dean and professor, Sri Ramachandra Medical University.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / TNN / February 23rd, 2014