On a cold December morning in Pipraich block, Gorakhpur, hundreds of patients began lining up before sunrise. Many had walked kilometres from nearby villages. Some had been suffering from untreated conditions for months, even years. All of them had one thing in common: they could not afford proper medical care.
People & Nature Welfare Society's Winter Health Camp 2024 was our most ambitious medical outreach yet — bringing together 12 specialist doctors, 50 volunteers, and a full range of diagnostic services under one roof, completely free of charge.
The Healthcare Gap in Rural Gorakhpur
Pipraich block, like much of rural eastern UP, faces a severe shortage of accessible healthcare. The nearest district hospital is 25 km away. Private clinics are unaffordable for daily wage workers and farmers. As a result, minor ailments become serious conditions — and serious conditions become tragedies.
- Over 40% of rural patients avoid seeking medical care due to cost
- Respiratory illnesses spike sharply in winter months
- Diabetes and hypertension often go undiagnosed for years
- Women's health issues are particularly underreported
"For the first time in three years, I got my eyes checked. The doctor gave me spectacles. I can read again."
— Ramkali Devi, Age 58, Pipraich Village
What the Camp Offered
Our camp was designed to be comprehensive — not just a single-doctor consultation setup, but a full multi-speciality outreach covering the most critical health needs:
- General medicine and internal medicine consultations
- Eye check-up and free spectacle distribution
- Dental check-up and basic treatment
- Gynaecology and women's health consultations
- Paediatrics for children's health issues
- Orthopaedics for joint pain and mobility issues
- Blood sugar, blood pressure and haemoglobin testing
- Free medicines dispensed on-site
Moments That Stayed With Us
An elderly man walked 8 km barefoot because he had heard "there are free doctors from the city." A mother brought her 4-year-old son whose chronic cough had never been investigated — it turned out to be treatable bronchitis. A teenage girl was found to be severely anaemic and was referred for follow-up care.
"Healthcare is not a luxury. In a just society, it cannot be reserved for those who can afford it."
— PANWS Health Programme TeamFree Medicines and Follow-up Support
We distributed free medicines worth over Rs. 80,000 on the day of the camp. Patients with chronic conditions were connected to ongoing follow-up support through our volunteer health workers who visit villages monthly. Seventeen critical cases were referred to district hospitals with transport assistance arranged by our team.
What's Next
We plan to run quarterly health camps across different blocks of Gorakhpur in 2025. We are also training community health volunteers (CHVs) to provide basic health education and early detection support in remote villages.
Healthcare should reach the people — not the other way around. That is the mission we are committed to.
