Assisting lakhs of patients at state-run hospitals in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD:In 2017 alone, 1,34,000 person hours of effort was put by volunteers of city-based NGO Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) to assist patients across 20 patient care centres. A total of 27,75,000 lakh patients were guided and assisted in these hospitals.

"We have consciously handpicked our volunteers, who already have been through distressing situations in their personal lives - such volunteers have the ability to understand pain and see from their heart, which is vital in our service", said HHF Founder Mujtaba Hasan Askari.

The volunteers welcome patients with a smiling face to guide and counsel them in state-run hospitals in the city so that the patients get easier and smoother access to large hospitals. This is apparently helping patients regain trust in the public health system.

Assistance in the hospitals is in the form of helping get OPD registrations, disposing medicines in pharmacies, drawing blood samples in pathology labs, arranging in mobilising blood, medicines and lab investigations in emergencies.

The volunteers also help, rescue and rehabilitate unknown and abandoned patients mostly suffering with HIV/AIDS, TB/MDR TB, leprosy, cancer and other life-limiting diseases. They even assist in conducting the last rites of such patients so that respect and dignity is maintained.

HHF volunteers also counsel patients from economically poor families about disease, treatment, hygiene and lifestyle issues. Their emotional support and counselling is helping patients stay motivated all through the treatment period.

"Our counsellors in 'VISHWAS' - a support centre for sexually abused children attached to Cyberabad Police helped in nearly 55 POCSO cases till date, apart from sensitising nearly 2,500 government school students on good touch and bad touch.

HHF provides services across seven tertiary hospitals, six area hospitals and 5 urban primary care centres.