MULUGU: While a majority of people watching the famous Bollywood movie Swades, starring actor Shah Rukh Khan, break down into tears, a native of Dammannapet village in Wardhannapet mandal of Warangal district, Dr Charanjit Reddy made it his reality.
A doctor by profession and a social worker at heart, Dr Reddy, who had done his MD, fellowship and MBA in Hospital Management in the USA, returned home after a gap of 21 years, in 2021.
Speaking to Express, he says, “I have set up a 16-bed hospital for the Gothi Koya tribe from USA in 2015. Now, I am going to upgrade it to a 50-bed hospital.”
He currently operates the Bannu Charitable Hospital, named after his mother, in Eturnagaram, where he offers healthcare services to the needy and desperate people in the area.
Dr Reddy states that the love for his mother pulled him back to India. He explains that when he conducted medical camps for the tribal population in the forest areas of Eturnagaram, he found rising cases of anaemia (low haemoglobin concentration in blood) among the women. He mentions that there was no healthcare facility for Gothi Koya tribe members in Eturnagaram, Tadavi and Venkatapuram and they had to travel to Warangal to seek medical services.
For that reason, he started a 16-bed critical care hospital in the Agency area for people from marginalised communities. While the services are free, patients are charged a nominal fee of Rs 25.
The Bannu Charitable Hospital has an operation theatre, diagnostic lab with equipment for ultrasound, 2D Echo, obstetrics, general scan and X-ray. They also provide ambulance services and Dr Reddy hopes to set up a CT scan centre in the premises.
He further states that there are two full-time doctors, six consultant doctors and 18 full-time staff working at the hospital. At present, there are vacancies for doctors at the general surgery, general medicine and anaesthesia departments in the hospital.
“My friends who worked with me in the United States, also visit Eturnagaram and conduct special medical camps,” said Dr Reddy.
He says he is proud to serve the tribal population with the help of district administration and volunteer organisations, who have appreciated his efforts.
Found cases of anaemia in women
Dr Charanjit Reddy says that when he conducted medical camps for the tribal population in the forest areas of Eturnagaram, he found rising cases of anaemia (low haemoglobin concentration in blood) among the women. He mentions that there was no healthcare facility for Gothi Koya tribe members in Eturnagaram, Tadavi and Venkatapuram and they had to travel to Warangal for it