Since 1974, Every Sunday This Doctor And His Team Treat 700-1200 Patients Free Of Cost

November 5, 2018

Dr. Ramana Rao has been providing free health care services to the poor for the past 44 years through his free clinic in Bangalore, India.

Dr Ramana Rao

Dr. Rao opened his free clinic in 1974 and it functions on Sundays. When he started, he saw only a handful of people a day.

Now, people begin lining up on Saturday nights.

"Every Sunday, the number of patients varies from 700 to 1200, and we do not miss a single Sunday," Dr. Rao told The Logical Indian.

The line of patients on Sundays

To make sure each patient is seen, Dr. Rao has a team of 35 people which includes his wife and two sons (who are also doctors), ten dentists, six nurses, and one skin specialist. Some of the staff at the clinic are former patients of Dr Rao.

"I came here for the first time eight years ago with my mother. I started volunteering seven years ago because I was impressed and I wanted to help," says volunteer Baba Jan.

Though the cost of medical services has escalated - primarily the cost of medicines - it has not been a deterrent for Dr. Rao.

The clinic is funded primarily by donations through Milaap, India's largest corwdfunding website. The funds raised are used to buy medicines, nebulizers, and injections for the clinic.

Since opening in 1974, Dr. Rao and his team have attended to more than 2 million patients, free of cost.

"The reason I became a doctor was to serve my community," says Dr. Rao. "The Sunday Village Clinic is dedicated to help the section of society who have no means or access to quality health care."

Watch the video below.