R. Sujatha

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CHENNAI: Since the first spell of rain in October, a group of youngsters with support from some government doctors have been meeting the healthcare needs of the city's slum dwellers.

Aid-India had distributed catamarans to the tsunami-affected fishermen in Chemmencheri. They came in handy during the recent floods in Kotturpuram, Saidapet and MGR Nagar.

The non-governmental organisation has launched a health van in Koovathur panchayat, some 8 km from Kalpakkam, and screened 500 women and children in Saidapet, Kotturpuram and Kallukuttai slums. Besides assisting in food distribution, volunteers have been conducting health camps since Monday where medicines for fever, cough and skin rashes were given. The local people there wanted weekly health camps but lack of doctors was a deterrent, said Balaji Sampath, secretary of the NGO. "We announced that doctors were needed and Dr. Prabhakar, head of paediatric department of Government General Hospital, contacted us. Four other doctors from the department also came," said Prabha Balaraman, the organisation's health coordinator.

Volunteers and medical shop owners, who donated medicines during last year's tsunami, are providing the medicines.

The van, equipped with BP apparatus, examination couch and emergency medicine cabinet, will provide free medical and health services in villages in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.

Ten-day health camps are being held in flood-affected areas in Cuddalore and Chidambaram districts where nearly 5,000 people have benefited.

"We helped to organise community kitchens after the flood and provided food for two days. Our health van has organised 15 camps in 15 villages, with an average of about 300 people in each camp in the affected villages around Chidambaram. Every day our van is organising three health camps," says Dr. Sampath.

In Tiruvallur district, women health volunteers and ICDS workers have been trained to counsel expectant and new mothers. The NGO's free computer centre was also inaugurated. Four schools received Eureka science kits.