Medicine Man

Dattatray Prabhakar Bhave's younger brother lost his life at the age of 32, only because the family did not have an icebag to bring down ...

Dattatray Prabhakar Bhave8217;s younger brother lost his life at the age of 32, only because the family did not have an icebag to bring down the temperature, or even a bedpan or thermometer. Very often, personal losses lead people to take a compassionate view of others8217; sufferings. The same can be said of Bhave, a high-school teacher, who started an organisation called the Patients8217; Relief Association PRA in Sholapur, way back in 1932.

His son, Ramesh Bhave, who carries on the tradition of medical support after his father8217;s demise, remembers, 8220;My father went to a rich student and these articles were just lying in a corner in his house, unused. It led my father to think 8211; what about the people who cannot get these things easily8221;?

This gave Dattatray Bhave the idea of supplying nursing appliances to needy patients. Today, the PRA has a stock of about 700 articles of 40 different types, ranging from the simple icebag, thermometer, triple and anti-polio vaccines, medicines and injections to costly articles like wheelchairs, medical oxygen, Fowler8217;s beds, ultra-violet and infra-red ray treatments all at a very nominal charge. The beneficiaries include not just the people who cannot afford them but also rich families.

Bhave8217;s free clinic grew one step at a time, as he gradually got acquainted with the problems faced by people. Home-nursing, which is one of the PRA8217;s most important activities today, was started in 1954 after his wife faced a severe ailment. He realised that many people are ignorant about nursing, and professional help was badly required.

The ambulance service was started because he saw a lady being taken to maternity hospital in a tonga, suffering its jerks in pain. This service has been in operation for 20 years now. Like the above, a free dispensary and blood bank also took concrete shape, initially established with the help of generous donations from the State Government and welfare organisations.

Ramesh Bhave joined the force in 1968, while also pursuing a career at Telco. Four years ago, he decided to expand the service and the Pune branch came into being. And like any other social service, this one too operates at the mercy of funds, donations and charity. Bhave runs the round-the-clock service from Shri Chaitanya Apartments, Narayan Peth.

His wife Lalita and two grown-up children also take time off from other duties to help out with the service, which has got a good response. 8220;People get in touch with us, courtesy word-of-mouth publicity.8221; Bhave, however, has one complaint against Puneites. 8220;In Sholapur, nobody failed to return our equipment in 20 years of service, but in Pune, people are not so honest. So now we take a deposit, equivalent to the amount of the cost of the equipment8221;.

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The Sholapur branch is run by trustees today, after the death of the senior Bhave. 8220;My father was committed to the cause till his last days. He died at the age of 97, and the service which he started has been praised by all the top leaders who visited the office at Sholapur 8211; Indira Gandhi, Y.B. Chavan, Justice V.D. Tuljapurkar and many more8221;.

In 1983, the organisation won the Gunwant Kamgar award from the State Government, which also made a documentary film on it. And besides regular donors like Tata Trust, Birla Charities, The RWITC, Maharashtra Foundation, overseas donations from New York, the State Government takes care of 25 per cent of the deficits. Kalnirnay calendars carry all their advertisements free of cost. May the charitable service grow!