During the course of this journey we at DMCT have increasingly realised that to make a lasting  impact on the healthcare of a marginalised region it has to be adopted in a more meaningful  way and that is how the idea of a Rural India Medical Clinic (RIMC) was born. RIMC envisages  the regular presence of healthcare providers in a chosen remote area, which has limited  medical facilities, at a pre-designated frequency such that the health care providers become  increasingly familiar with the medical needs of the local populace. Infrastructure needs for an  RIMC would be a local rented establishment which with the necessary modifications would  double up as a clinic, X ray and path lab centre. The visiting staff at the RIMC would include an  MBBS doctor, lab assistant cum X ray technician and a couple of volunteers as administrative  support. This team is originally planned to be visiting the location on a fortnightly basis.

Our vision is to roll out RIMC’s across at least 10 more locations and  demonstrate how low cost last mile healthcare can be provided to the most isolated  and needy. This hopefully can then become a replicable model on a pan India basis.

Learning from RIMC Clinic - April 2022

After much planning and anticipation, the first RIMC was launched at Village Jamriya, Block Birokhal, Pauri Gharwal Uttrakhand in the end of April 2022. The preparatory work had started much earlier when we did our first camp in that location in May 2019 in association with Sheetal Singh Chaudhary Trust, who is not only our local support and financial benefactor but have also provided infrastructure support and provided the building structure in which the RIMC is housed. The installed facilities at the RIMC site include a permanent X-Ray machine, a fully functional pathology lab and an oxygen concentrator.

The launch was preceded by a full-fledged Medical Camp in early April 2022 wherein we identified patients who needed recurring medical support, assessed the nature of the ailments in that area and stocked medicines on that basis. The Camp also acted as an advertising agent for the forthcoming camp wherein we repeatedly announced its imminent commencement. The RIMC is conducted monthly until now wherein a doctor/s a lab technician and a X ray technician spend 2 to 4 dedicated days at the location or within a 20 km radius such that the outreach of the services is available to a larger population. There have been 3 such monthly RIMC activities conducted till date in April, June, and July. As we are still in a very nascent stage of the activity, we consistently seek feedback from the visiting doctors & technicians, the target population, our support staff, and the trustees.

Feedbacks

A meeting was in convened in early August amongst 3 Trustees and Sheetal Singh Chaudhury Trust to discuss the issues and plan the way forward. The key takeaways that emerged were:

  • We need to set up a permanent doctor and a couple of technicians at the site. They can work on a rotational basis, but a constant presence needs to be ensured
  • These are early needs so to we need to be patient and give the RIMC a significant period to establish itself. Our credibility will be established as time progresses and so will the change in people’s mindset

The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep

Robert Frost