Having vowed to ensure no one individual meets with his son’s fate, Hemandra Patidar, a farmer from Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district has constructed a 10-bedded ‘Shivam ward’ alongside the Primary Healthcare Centre to ensure timely medical intervention to all those in need.
Shivam, elder of Hemandra’s two sons, died fighting for his life at the district hospital in Ratlam a few hours after meeting with a road accident two years ago.
Hounded by images of his dying son profusely bleeding on his way to the district hospital – the only health facility about 12 km away from their village in Dharar – the newly painted walls of the constructed ward right in the middle of his village is the only respite for Patidar.
Exactly two years later, on 23 December, the day Hemandra lost his son, he handed over the keys for the newly constructed hospital to the district administration to run it.
Dr Satendra Singh Rajawat, in-charge, Dharar Primary Health Centre claimed that the addition of new buildings has boosted the existing medical facilities in the centre and it is enough to tackle the emergency patients for hours before referring to other hospitals.
“The images of seeing him on deathbed and my helplessness in providing him better medical facilities in the city often hounds me,” said Patidar with a lump in his throat. Patidar spent more than Rs 4 lakh in the construction of a new building which is located adjacent to the ‘primary healthcare centre’ of Dharar village and equipped the place with 10 beds.
Shivam was an intelligent and obedient boy and had returned home in December on our request and brought a new bike, says Shivam’s mother Jyoti Patidar, remembering her son.
“After the accident with the new bike, we rushed him to Ratlam district hospital where medical facilities aren't at par with the private hospitals. Subsequently, he succumbed to the injuries,” recounts Patidar.
Upon his death, he vowed to build a hospital to help those who died in the wake of getting medical facilities without getting noticed.
The tribal-dominated Ratlam district situated on the western part of Madhya Pradesh bordering Rajasthan is a home of nearly 15 lakh people, as per the latest survey. But the district has only one hospital where half of the seats for doctors are lying vacant.
“With the new 10-bed medical facility and already existing primary health centre, we can cater to the population of nearby 20-25 villages, mostly tribals,” said Jitendra Singh, Panchayat Sachiv of Dharar village.
At present, a doctor visits the hospital four days a week. But with the addition of a new facility and new patients pouring in, a full-time doctor with nursing staff are needed in the hospital, Jitendra added.
Patidar, who is also associated with the Congress, urged the district administration to deploy a full-time doctor because it is the only hospital within 12-km.
When contacted, Ratlam District Collector Gopal Dand assured to deploy one.
He said, “I have heard about the new medical facility donated by Harmendra Patidar in Dharar. Currently, a doctor visits four days a week there, but, I have decided to deploy a full-time doctor there.”
The death of Shivam in a road mishap was unfortunate, said the Collector adding that we are constantly trying to upgrade the medical facilities in the district.
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