In the day and age of rapid commercialisation of medical & health sector, which many perceive to be the cause of increased conflict between patients and doctors, manifesting in the shape of ugly attacks on doctors and increasing trust deficit, a city based NGO, brought several prominent citizens & philanthropist on a single platform to show case & recognise some significant social contributions &long standing self-less service of doctors in solidarity of support to the medical fraternity.
In an event organised on Sunday, city-based NGO, Helping Hand Foundation felicitated some city-based doctors of long public standing, who have served for some just causes like Leprosy, HIV/AIDS, Genetics, & Cancer.
Dr. S. Ananth Reddy, a Surgeon from Kakatiya University, who joined Sivananda Rehabilitation Home in 1982, and who was trained under German Reconstructive Surgeon for leprosy was honoured for his 38 years of yeoman service in conducting free reconstructive surgeries of deformed hands and limbs for hundreds of leprosy patients.
Presently, Dr. Ananth Reddy is also responsible of running a 25 bedded one of its kind Palliative Care centre HIV/AIDs, run jointly by Sivananda and Helping Hand Foundation.
Similarly, Dr. Annie Hasan, niece of Late Mr. Abid Hussain former Ambassador to USA, contributions to the field of Genetics and her interest in serving the underprivileged sections through the NGO, Shakthi Shifa Foundation, particularly for children with rare genetical diseases & for her role in helping women from weaker sections prevent Cervical & Breast Cancer from a genetical point of view were lauded.
Free hip & knee joint replacements for economically weaker sections who cannot afford the high cost of joint replacement, a program jointly run by HHF & Osmania General Hospital, in which over 100 patients from weaker sections benefited under the leadership of Dr. G. Ramesh & Dr. Y. Thimma Reddy, both Professors and HODs of Orthopaedics at OGH for 100% success rate with less than 1% infection rates were lauded.
The efforts & contribution of Dr. Abdul Ahmed Kabeer, Assistant Professor of ENT in Gandhi Hospital, whose invention known as the “Kabir Flap” to fix Conginental deformity in the ear, which has helped hundreds of children with better for the outcome were lauded by the NGO.
Several other doctors who are part of the Social network of the NGO, Helping Hand Foundation and whose 2nd opinion & service, particularly to the underprivileged section which has saved precious resources of the patients and their lives were honoured.
Also, the contributions of CSR groups like SBI Life Insurance, Round Table & Al Khair Foundation, UK, in helping improving facilities & services at public hospital namely in OGH, MNJ Cancer & Nizamia General Hospital were appreciated.
“The awards presented today are testimony to the fact that medical ethics and selfless service to the underprivileged sections are the building blocks of patient-doctor trust, which is fast eroding& needs to be restored said Mr. Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. R. H. Khwaja, IAS (Rtd), former Secretary of Government of India and Chairman of Advisory board of Helping Hand Foundation, said that “We need to create such a platform that recognises medical ethics and selfless service, so that others from the fraternity are extoled to give back to the society, while appreciating the role of HHF in building people trust factor in public health system”.
Advisor to the TS Government for Minority Welfare, Mr. A. K. Khan IPS (Rtd) said, “he was overwhelmed to see the several charitable groups and CSR programs in private – public partnership in public health evolving and emphasised the need to further strengthen it to improve public health delivery”.
Present on the occasion were several eminent personalities & Philanthropist from the city like Mr. Vikram Dev Rao, Secretary of Sivananda Rehabilitation Home,Dr. Surekha Pingle, former Professor of Anaesthesia, OGH, Mr. Mazhar Hussaini of SEED, USA & Nawab Najaf Ali Khan grandson of Nizam VIIth.
