L&T Health Centre, Andheri, Mumbai.
Ashok Tukaram Pawar (73) is eager for his appointment slated for this afternoon with his physician, Padma Shri awardee Dr Alaka Deshpande. It is a weekday, but the OPD — where Pawar is waiting with the other patients, also here to see Dr Deshpande — is filled to capacity. He takes advantage of the wait to explain his enthusiasm. “My sugar levels are in control. Doctor will be happy.”
An ex-L&T employee, Pawar learned about the health centre — an offshoot of the multinational’s CSR arm — during his tenure and has been patronising it ever since. “I have told my neighbours and friends too, about it,” he boasts. Once under the impression that his diabetes diagnosis would relegate him to a lifetime of sacrificial diets, Pawar says he found hope in Dr Deshpande’s fool-proof plan backed by promising moderate lifestyle changes.
He is one of many who have got a new lease on life through these holistic treatment modalities. But, as Pawar underscores, access to India’s top-notch physicians isn’t the only draw at these centres. It is the spotlessness and state-of-the-art facilities that ensure a steady and loyal patient flow.
Patient Ramchandra Kajrolkar agrees. He has been coming for routine follow-ups for the last three years. He reasons that the centre checks the boxes on hygiene, cost-effectiveness, and quality healthcare. “That and Dr Deshpande being such a good doctor,” he adds.
Since its inception in 1968, lakhs of patients have found refuge in this community health centre, one among the 10 that are spread across pin codes in three states.
Targeting the ‘diabetes epidemic’ through holistic healthcare
At the fag end of a day filled with seeing patients — most of whose reports thoroughly impressed her — Dr Deshpande invites us in for a chat. She shares how her introduction to the initiative came following a conversation with veteran gynaecologist Dr Usha Krishna — also the one who spearheaded the inception of the L&T health centres.
The latter encouraged the recently retired JJ Hospital professor to consider channelling her expertise to reach out to the underprivileged of society.
She draws from our remark on the large number of diabetic patients in the OPD, explaining how India is currently seeing a crisis unfolding. This ‘diabetes epidemic’ as she calls it will necessitate a transition in approach. Dispensing pills cannot be the only solution.
“Through our ‘Living With Diabetes’ sessions, we make patients aware of how diabetes can impact their overall health. Then, we guide them on the lifestyle changes they must make after a diagnosis,” Dr Deshpande shares. Endocrinology concerns become especially crucial to treat in cases of pregnancy. So it is fortunate, Dr Deshpande smiles, that the gynaecology unit is just next door. All pregnant patients are advised a complete blood workup, with a focus on vitamin levels and thyroid hormone levels (TSH). Any imbalance is treated through medicines, diet, and exercise.
Rucha Patki who manages CSR at L&T takes this opportunity to highlight how maternal and child healthcare has been their prime priority. “We at L&T see it as our responsibility to provide complete quality healthcare and not simply fund the activity. L&T ensures services are provided by experienced doctors and multi-disciplinary health professionals. This ensures the sustainability of the drive.”
Pointing out how the needs of the community have been the barometer for new specialities being added, she says the current module boasts a plethora of services, ensuring that patients get comprehensive care under one roof. These include consultations for reproductive health, orthopaedic concerns, dental concerns, gynaecological conditions, respiratory concerns, skin and venereal diseases, ENT concerns, testing, treatment and counselling for tuberculosis and mental health concerns.
A commitment to pioneer community health
Recognising that it is a privilege to be of service to those in the greatest need, Larsen & Toubro — a technology-led multinational that provides engineering, construction, manufacturing, and financial services — incepted the idea of community health centres. Today, these are staffed by expert doctors, nurses, and paramedics — keen on paying their dues back to society through their service. The therapeutic modalities are backed by excellent diagnostics and the latest technology, including X-rays, ultrasound, dental equipment, and equipment deployed in scopies.
Dr Madhuri Franklin, who is at the helm of the operations at the Andheri centre, lets us in on the know-how of spearheading a project of this scope. The work is extensive, but she credits her drive to the satisfaction she derives from it.
For Dr Franklin whose professional trajectory has been coloured with experience in public health at the grassroots level, taking charge of this project is almost like a return to the roots. “My previous experience made me aware of the gaps in healthcare in the community at large. I can say with certainty that going to the community’s doorsteps with services makes a difference.”
She shares an observation of the uptick in the number of people who seek assistance in family planning and opt for sterilisation procedures at the centre. Consulting gynaecologist Dr Shreya Prabhoo reasons this increase. “People are starting to become more cognisant of family planning. Earlier people were under the impression that female sterilisation was the only approach. Male sterilisation is a big taboo in our society, you see. It is assumed that the man will lose his libido or ‘manhood’ after a vasectomy,” she shares.
But through extensive education that dispels these misconceptions, the doctors are starting to see a shift in attitudes. The statistics — the Andheri centre has completed 55,000 family planning surgeries — are a nod to these mindset changes.
Quality healthcare at the community’s doorstep
While state-of-the-art services and consultations are made available to the patients who head to the L&T centres, there was a burgeoning need to extend the same to those who didn’t have this privilege. This gap is bridged by the Mobile Health Units, which take medical services to the urban, peri-urban, as well as far-flung rural and tribal poor, explains Dahlia Sengupta, a volunteer.
For 15 years Sengupta has co-ordinated this enormous exercise that provides services to beneficiaries from rural communities within a short radius of where they live. Through weekly, monthly and need-based interventions, these mobile health units reach out to slum areas spread across Mumbai city, Navi Mumbai, and Thane. “They [slum dwellers] do not have the time to take a break from their work and head to the health centres for a check-up,” Sengupta reasons.
The camps have achieved remarkable success.
Vaishali, who has been associated with Stree Mukti Sanghatana — an initiative that has been working towards the welfare of women, especially waste pickers, is part of the team that heads to the dumping grounds in the mobile vans.
“We see women with a lot of health issues, including addictions, skin infections — especially fungal infections due to the garbage they come in contact with — and urinary tract infections as there are no latrines on these dumping grounds,” she shares. “Through the camps, we provide them with medicines, tetanus shots, and have even conducted pap smear camps to check for cancer.”
While these health camps are centric on the health concerns faced by women waste pickers, Rajesh Patil from the Salaam Baalak Trust — a non-profit providing support for street children — lauds the ones conducted for children. These, he says, tackle malnourishment, a prevalent concern seen in children whose parents are daily wage workers or live on the streets, and do not have the time or knowledge to pay attention to their children’s diets.
These health camps focus on encouraging parents to recalibrate their children’s dietary needs while not exceeding their budget constraints. In the past year alone, the mobile health vans have reached out to 35,224 people from across Mumbai.
Creating unabridged access to healthcare
As patients filter into the different speciality rooms at the centre, it is fascinating to watch their worry morph into relief after their consultation. They know they are in safe hands. Dr Rahul Joshi, consulting homoeopathic, credits the centre’s investigative procedures backed by credible diagnostics for this.
“The setup welcomes everyone in tune with our Indian ideology of secularism. There is no bias anywhere, we have patients from all communities coming here. The ethos is of service,” he points out.
He underscores — and I must agree — “The overall setup looks very corporate. It is not a rundown one, which we observe in most of the places offering free treatment. Top doctors consult here. The primary aim is accessibility to the best doctors with regular follow-ups.”
While physical health concerns deserve attention, mental health too demands a listening ear. And the counselling unit is a vibrant space where every child is treated with care and compassion.
As we enter, we are met with a visual of Ira (4) attempting to string thread into a cardboard cutout while her counsellor looks on, pitching in when needed. Ira’s mother is amused by how her little girl has taken to the counsellors here. “She takes time to warm up to people,” her mother explains, blaming her daughter’s autism diagnosis for this. “But I’ve seen her progress ever since she started coming to this centre.”
Through games, the counsellors explain, neuro-divergent children’s hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and creativity are tapped.
What sets the centre apart from others is that alongside catering to the needs of children, the counsellors spend a significant time speaking to the parents. “We often observe a lack of understanding about mental health, thus, we psycho-educate them. We tell them that there needn’t be a taboo around mental health. Change takes more than a day, it requires intensive counselling sessions,” counselling psychologist Rama Subramanian shares.
While the centre has managed to touch a chord with the community at large, the goal is far from complete, Patki shares. “We always find ourselves going back to the drawing board and thinking what more can be done.”
Amid the emerging concerns of community health, the L&T centre is a beacon, one that is advocating for a world where health equity reigns. And what is amazing is how they achieve this keeping compassion at the core. Proof of this can be found in Sengupta’s conversation with her team prior to every health camp. “Don’t deal with these people as if you are doing them a favour. It is they who are giving us the opportunity to do something.”
This article is in partnership with L&T
Edited by Pranita Bhat
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