|
 She went to a government hospital near her remote village in the
western state of Rajasthan to be treated, but it did not have a
specialist doctor.
The nearest private hospital was in the neighboring state of
Gujarat, and Devi was told her treatment, middle ear surgery, would
cost about 50,000 rupees ($766) there.
"I didn't even have 5,000 rupees," said Devi, 41, who returned in
despair to her home in Jalore.
Days later came news of visiting specialists who would treat her for
free.
They arrived in early April as volunteers on the Lifeline Express, a
seven-coach train converted into a rolling hospital that has
crisscrossed India for 27 years to treat people like Devi living in
areas with scarce healthcare.
Lifeline Express has treated about 1.2 million people since its
launch in 1991 by the non-profit Impact India Foundation, said chief
operating officer and doctor Rajnish Gourh.
In a country that spends just one percent of its gross domestic
product on healthcare, among the world's lowest, the hospital on
wheels fills a critical gap.
Like Devi, India's poor are caught between relying on a crumbling
public health system trusted by few, or selling meager assets to
fund private treatment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government launched a scheme in
February that aims to widen health insurance coverage to 500 million
people, but critics say the plan is unlikely to work unless public
health systems improve dramatically.
Until then, options such as Lifeline Express offer crucial support.
VOLUNTEER ARMY
Decorated with mahogany flower garlands, the sky-blue train parked
at the sleepy station in Jalore could be mistaken for a new
passenger train. Its medical facilities would rival many Indian
public hospitals.
It employs 20 permanent paramedic staff, with most doctors
volunteering from nearby medical colleges or hospitals.
[to top of second column] |
Typically, it spends a month in a district, performing surgery
ranging from cataracts and cancer to cleft palates and orthopaedics.
The aim is not to compete with India's public health system, but
support it. "We cannot have a hundred Lifeline Expresses in the
country," said Gourh.
However, a second train will be launched in the next six months to
cover the north and northeast, he added.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal agreed to provide the second train at
a meeting with Lifeline Express officials in February, Gourh said.
The rail ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The train gives volunteer doctors and medical students an
opportunity to hone their skills while doing satisfying community
work.
"Because we are working at the grassroots, we are exposed to
different kinds of diseases," said volunteer doctor Mehak Sikka.
"You get to learn more."
For patients like Devi, free treatment averts what could otherwise
be a lifetime of suffering or death.
Feeling indebted to the young surgeon who treated her, Devi, clad in
a bright yellow saree, joined her hands in respect before the doctor
drew her into a warm embrace.
"I am glad that I will be able to hear my grandchildren's voices,"
Devi said, with a smile. "I won't go deaf."
(Reporting by Danish Siddiqui and Sunil Kataria; Writing by Zeba
Siddiqui; Editing by Euan Rocha and Clarence Fernandez)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
