Dr Mahendra Foundation
The Dr. Mahendra Foundation
Dr. Balram K Mahendra, President, Mahendra Group and the Dr. Balram Mahendra Foundation brings doctors and other medical staff from Australia to India and India to Australia with agreement and cooperation with Government of Queensland, Australia, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
MISSION
The objective is to promote healthcare in India, with an emphasis on rural India. In a pilot project, to adopt an area to provide health care, drinking water, sanitation, education and IT-enabled services. The target will be to make 100 villages ‘healthy’. Immediate aim is to focus on rural areas and emergency services. Networking among hospitals, patient identification by computerization, better emergency medical services and well-equipped ambulances will receive priority. Doctors willing to contribute will be brought together to utilise their knowledge. Five diseases have been identified for the physicians; cancer of the cervix, prostate, heart disease, diabetes and deafness in children. All these diseases are easily detectable and curable but still account for maximum deaths, mostly due to lack of awareness. A fully operational state of the art emergency medical system would be first of all set up as a model in New Delhi. It is intended to connect health and IT, and set up an electronic patient identification system, making it possible for a patient any where to be treated by a specialist doctor in another country. Telemedicine is the future. Collaboration with other countries will include joint research, implementation of strategies and policy recommendations to the Governments, building a 100 megabit network connecting 5000 nodes in India including most of the cities, libraries, health facilities, and research facilities, facilitating telemedicine by providing broadband connectivity.
CRITICAL APPRECIATION
It well known all over the world that Australia today is leading in medical facilities and research. Just to cite a few examples, Dr. Ian Farzer, who has been awarded Order of Australia, the highest Award from Government of Australia has invented an injection to create immunity against breast cancer. The injection is now being given to every girl of the age of 14 years, even in schools so that there is prevention from breast cancer.
Another leading research result is spraying a micro skin on any part of the body to cover scars with natural matching colour of the skin so that the artificial micro skin become a part of the body to hide the scar. Micro skin becomes a part of the body, permitting bathing, swimming and all other normal activities to be as good as natural skin.
Advance research is to an extent that a person with 40 % burns was flown from Los Angles to Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane for treatment since it is known to have the best facility in the world.
About 60 doctors are being trained in the hospital for cancer and other treatments.
The exchange programme is based on the basic ideology of improvement of health care in India. With assistance and joint venture facilities from Australia, it would be a big boost through improvement in health of human beings in India.
BASIC PLAN
The approach is to concentrate on the improvement of existing facilities in Vimhans hospital as well as other hospitals and Raja Foundation etc. willing to participate and take advantage of the assistance available through Dr. Balram Mahendra Foundation in joint venture with Government of Queensland, Australia.
Phase I
Will consist of exchange of doctors and medical personnel between the two countries. Once the curriculum vitae is available, it would be exchanged with facilities in Australia to find a compatible doctor to participate in interaction to bring about improvement of knowledge and exchange of treatment activities in both directions.
It is possible that since Australia is encouraging treatment through herbal and other ways of treating aboriginals, a way would be found for utilizing herbal and tribal medicinal systems and Indian herbs and investigate their utility through research and development, both in India and Australia.
Phase II
Establishment of high level interactive research between the two countries in selective acceptable areas considered suitable for both countries. For example, Ayurvedic, Transidental Meditation, Yoga and traditional medicines to be applied in day to day patient care to find out the effect good for patients and broadcast them for utility in other countries.
Phase III
Within selective areas to exchange total facilities in urban and rural areas with an object to enhance the health care systems.
Once the objectives are set, it would be considered important to see if it is possible to set up a preventive health care system, whereby a standard is laid down to outline as to what minimum bare health care food intakes etc. should be taken by each individual so as to come to a decision as to whether garlic, ginger, “neem” and herbal products namely “aloe era” juice, “noni” and “saw palmetto” which are helping to reduce joint pain immensely should be incorporated in our drive for health care in both urban and rural areas and such other products along with vegetables such as broccoli, soya, cabbage, carrot and such other products must be taken by each individual. The object would be to come an Indian or world standard of food intake to advise every individual as to something that you must eat to live happy life.
On the other side, we must provide information to one and all as to what one should not eat or drink through posters and other broadcasting facilities like media. It should be essential for the Government to propagate as a part of constitutional obligation to bring health to people since without health it is no good to have ‘Roti’ ‘Kapra’ and ‘Makaan’. Unhealthy is not a desirable person in any family or society. Once a person is part of the family, he has better chance to live. There is no reason for him to change from one son to another son or daughter.
Four factors to be considered are:
a) Aahaar Food b) Vichaar Thought (consciousness) c) Vibhaar Behaviour d) Vachaar Exercise
Phase IV
The objective will be to set up specialty hospitals not only in urban but also in rural India to make available facilities every where within 15 minutes of reach for every suffering person with full facilities including solar X-Ray, solar Refrigerator for keeping medicines etc. The standard hospital lay out and facilities available should have one system available throughout the country so that people do not have to run place to place thinking they do not have the best and have to search for the best. The best would be nearest to them. The ambulance facility should be within 3 minutes reach from every suffering person in need of clinical help. Each ambulance should be equipped with basic recessitation equipment etc. for urgent medical care.
For places far off like mines, dams etc. helicopter facilities for carrying patients should be available within 15 minutes of call received.
In Canada Ayurvedic knowledge has been taken from India and major research is going on in five centers with production of basic mother tincher of the herbal product and incorporated into edible form for different ailments. We can take advantage of the knowledge and reciprocate similar research in India and help in the financially affordable way in India for the poor and the elderly.
Dr. K. Misra, Surgeon from Canada trained in conventional medicines has studied the Natural Ayurvedic medicines of Canada based on the epic knowledge of the Indian herbs. We would amalgamate well both kinds of medicines to cure and prevent disease to create a disease free society. Well trained M.D.s will be involved, not just herbologists. They will be in the fore front of research in India.
To keep track of recent advances in different machines which are being used in developed countries for spinal neurological and cardiac problems which are lacking behind in India so that we can be competitive in all respect with the developed world.
We can also incorporate the use of developments in pulsating electromagnetic therapy and bioresonance therapy which are cost effective and without any side affect and provide good medical care.
CAPITAL OUTLAY
Capital outlay will depend on the cost of the availability of land and construction of building depending on locally available materials and design incorporated to come up with the minimum facilities desired along with basic cost of the equipment to be set up. Equipment cost will be in the proximity of 20 to 30 crores of Rupees for each facility.
It would be good idea to have satellite hospital attached to the Central hospitals.
Finances available and source
Would depend upon various Foundations and units to participate in the programme as well as the Union and State Governments willing to invest money to provide health care to the masses. Not only the Government but also NGOs and business organisations as well as charitable foundations can contribute in a big way to earn name and fame.
BASIC MANPOWER AVAILABLE
There is no dearth of medical doctors, Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Unani specialists available in the country. Only requirement is to encourage them to come forward and be a part of the nation building. It is a well known fact that if all the Indian doctors are withdrawn from America, the American medical system will collapse. Let us remember that if we can set the American medical system, we can do much better within our own country. Here we have the advantage of getting help of Australian medical doctors and personnel available to us with the exchange programme.
IMPLEMENTATION
One has to think seriously about our approach to implementation of various objectives either on our own or through various Foundations, Governments of various States as well as the Union Government. Once we have come up with our own plans, we feel the State Governments will follow our approach.
NUCLEUS
Nucleus to basic essentials will be to form a nucleus group with Padma Shri J.N.Chaudhry as the Chairman, Dr. Balram Mahendra as the President, Dr. K. C. Mishra as the Secretary General, D. N. Chaudhry as the Convenor, Mrs. Prem Chaudhry as the Organiser and Shri Yash Chaudhry as the Executive Member to come together at weekly meetings to go forward and move ahead in the directions considered best by all in the interest of the nation considering propagation of the approach in Australia where huge number of medical doctors and other medical staff are required to the extent of over 2000 medical doctors needed right away even for one State of Queensland.
For steps to be taken to verify our doctors for the entrance test to practice in Australia, the approach would be to insist on Australian Government to carry out such tests within India and certify doctors to practice within Australia. This is already accepted and have been undertaken by Australia in Korea wherein even test centers have been set up to test and certify equipment for use in Australia at a more economic cost since the cost of certifying in Australia is extremely high while in India it would be at a negligible cost. Such Centers can be set up in various States in India, even on a mobile basis from time to time to avoid inconvenience for medical staff to leave their practice and travel to the test center.
It would be important to set up training centers at the standard desired by Australian practice for nurses in various States of India to certify them for practicing in Australia where the need and potential are really great.
Of course the basic need would be for training them in English and driving car. This will be essential for practicing as well as good for traveling in Australia. These are two basic needs for any one to live in Australia.
Published in GOPIA News for the world in March 2007 issue
NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs/PIOs AROUND THE WORLD
AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL AND NRI GROUP TO EXCHANGE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WITH INDIA
It all started with Dr. Balram Mahendra presenting the Division of Surgery with a proposal for the PA Hospital to explore the development of an exchange program for clinicians and allied health professionals. This collaboration will promote training rapport and understanding between India and Australia and assist in healthy living for people in both countries.
A VIP from India was fortunate to receive care at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, one of the worlds leading centers for head and neck surgery. The treatment was provided by a variety of surgeons lead by Dr. Coman, and staff in Intensive Care Unit. Dr Daryl Wall, Director of General Surgery who also teaches in surgery, surgical development and education, stated that the surgery went well with the patient now attending outpatient appointments to ensure continued good health. This provided an opportunity to initiate a program with India.
The PA Hospital Head and Neck Cancer Unit, which aided in the patients treatment, attracts applications from over 60 surgeons every year wishing to participate in the training course. The surgical endeavors are supported by experts in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Radiology, Speech Pathology, and Dietetics. This multidisciplinary approach is utilized for the care of all the patients and assists in achieving great results.
Contact: Dr. Balram K. Mahendra, on behalf of Queensland Government, PA Hospital, Australia and Mahendra Group, C14 Chiragh Enclave, NewDelhi 110048, India and AUSTRALIA, e-mail mec@vsnl.com INDIA mailing address 27/18 First Floor, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110 008, phone 91-11-4508 4464, mobile 9910 211 244.
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