7, March 2010
By Sumitra Deb Roy
Mumbai, India
A Chembur–based vada pav stall owner and a ward boy in an orthopaedic clinic in Dadar may soon usher in what many say could be the ideal healthcare mechanism in the days to come. The idea is healthcare for people and by the people.
Their 15–bed hospital, to be inaugurated at the Lanja Taluka in Ratnagiri on Sunday, is a manifestation of their dream to not be dependent on any government or corporate for basic healthcare. Mahadev Shivgan, the vada pav stall owner, would brainstorm with his friend Anant Kadam, who too was willing to give something back to his hometown.
Kadam’s 23 years of experience in the medical field with the Laud Clinic in Dadar helped him get good doctors to agree to treat his people back home. He started out as a ward boy at the clinic, and went on to become the main operating room assistant of the clinic over the years. When former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s knee was operated upon at Breach Candy Hospital in 2001, Kadam was asked to be a part of the team.
In the last five years, Kadam and Shivgan went about convincing many people about their idea. Just a month ago, Shivgan’s daughter Shraddha graduated as an MBBS and is now working as a doctor in Talegaon.
Their hospital, with an area of over 2,500 sq ft, will have a special section for cataract care as well as departments for other ailments. The cost of building the hospital was Rs 20 lakh. Doctors will visit Lanja every Sunday.
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