A report on the medical camp held at Thiruvallur for teachers and staff of Asha.
MEDICAL CAMP AT THIRUVALLUR – DECEMBER 2024
In November 2024, we lost Ms. Datchayani, a teacher at our Rural Technology Centre (RTC) in Poondi. She was just 26 years old.
Datchayani was from Neyveli village near Poondi and had been with Asha for nearly five years. Since 2023, she had been running the Poondi RTC on her own, working with dedication to support the education of children in Thiruvallur. Under her guidance, her students achieved notable success, winning several prizes during the RTC Impressions event in August 2024.
The sudden passing of Ms. Datchayani was a shock to everyone at Asha and highlighted the critical need for better awareness of personal health and healthy lifestyles within our team. With nearly 180 teachers and staff under our umbrella, it became evident that not everyone has access to quality medical advice or understands the importance of regular health checkups. While some have been proactive about their health, many tend to visit doctors only in worst-case scenarios when issues have already escalated.
In response, Asha volunteers decided to organize health camps for teachers across all our projects. The initiative had two primary goals:
To conduct blood and urine tests to identify any underlying health issues.
To arrange consultations with doctors for personalized guidance.
Organizing the logistics for sample collection was relatively straightforward. However, discussions with our teachers, most of whom are women, revealed a deeper challenge: finding the time and opportunity for meaningful conversations with doctors. Many of them rely on Public Health Centers (PHCs) or Government Hospitals, where consultations are often brief and leave them with unanswered questions. This initiative aimed to bridge that gap, ensuring our team had access to both diagnostic services and the opportunity for detailed medical consultations.
We began the drive at Thriuvallur since we have teachers in greater numbers under our Project Sangamam. We zeroed in on a diagnostic testing company names Healthians, which is India’s leading health test at home service offering a wide range of health tests across 250+ cities of India. It has a network of state-of-the-art fully automated laboratories and a large team of highly skilled phlebotomists who specialize in sample collection.
On 7 December 2024, we hosted the medical camp for 80 teachers and Sangamam team members at PUPS Kosavanpalayam, Thriuvallur. All our teachers were requested to assembled there as well after which the team collected blood and urine samples. Since blood samples needed to be collected on empty stomach, we arranged for breakfast after the first set of blood samples were drawn. Two hours later, the next set of blood samples were collected. The blood results were emailed to the respective teachers.
On 14 Dec, 2024, Dr. Deepa Neelakantan, a longtime friend of Asha Coordinator and Volunteer, Mr. Rajaraman, along with three young doctors and an attendant were invited to Thiruvallur to facilitate the review of medical reports and health histories. The consultation was arranged at PUPS Thirupachur school, Thiruvallur.
Dr. Deepa is a highly skilled and internationally recognized gynecologist with a wealth of experience in obstetrics, gynecology, and fertility treatments. With 27 years in the field, including 11 years of full-time training in the UK, she is deeply committed to her patients’ well-being. Her primary focus is on minimizing caesarean sections, and she has consistently achieved an impressive 85% normal delivery rate. Dr. Deepa earned her MRCOG degree and holds a DFFP (Diploma of the Faculty of Family Planning) from the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in London. In 2014, she was honored as a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG). It was a privilege for Asha to have her as a consultant for our teachers.
During the consultation process that lasted until 6 PM that evening, the doctors addressed concerns like thyroid, BP, menstrual health, post-maternity care, and healthy eating habits. She took efforts to makes sure concerns of each teacher was answered during the consultation.
A special private session for women teachers focused on breast cancer self-examination, creating awareness and empowering them to take charge of their health. Dr. Deepa provided a summary with practical medical advice, making the camp an eye-opener for all participants.
As a gesture of gratitude, the doctors were honored with handcrafted gifts made by our teachers. A heartfelt thanks to the amazing team of doctors who volunteered their time and expertise to make this camp a success!
Testimonials
RTC Teacher Ms. Poonkodi –“The medical camp was a great initiative that provided valuable health services to the participants. The health checkups and consultations were highly beneficial and catered to the participants’ needs effectively. The camp helped raise awareness about preventive health care and encouraged participants to prioritize their well-being. Acknowledge the efforts of the Asha and thank them for prioritizing employees’ health.”
K.Ezhilarasi – “It’s very useful to know about my health problems and find solutions too. Before this, I never thought much about some things, but now I am really careful about them. I am very thankful to Asha and its supporters. Thank you, Asha!”
L. Kavitha – “First, I want to thank Asha. A full body check-up usually costs a lot, but Asha conducted it for free. We didn’t have to spend much on this check-up. I was able to detect early thyroid symptoms, and the doctor advised me to maintain a proper diet. We now understand our health better, the importance of exercise, and eating on time. Health is more important than anything else. Once again, thank you to the Asha team!”
Karadipath Teacher, Radhika M – “During the medical camp, I found out that I have high BP. My BP was 173/111 on that day. I sincerely thank Asha and Venkat Sir for organizing this medical camp. I am now on medication to lower my BP, and it has reduced to 148/98. Though it’s still high, it’s better than before. If I hadn’t known about this, I might have faced a stroke or heart attack. Now, with the medicines, I can reduce these risks. Thank you!”
Najah N – “The medical camp created great awareness about preventive healthcare, which is crucial for our well-being. It was impressive to see the effort Asha has put into ensuring a clean, comfortable environment. Overall, this camp was a wonderful initiative, and I am sincerely thankful to Rajaram sir and Venkat sir and all the coordinators and volunteers for their dedication and hard work.”
