City doctor bags SAARC award for work in Bihar

A City doctor bagged the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Youth Award 2009 for his relief efforts during Bihar floods. Dr Ravikant Singh dedicated the award to his batchmate,Dr Chandrakant Patil...

A City doctor bagged the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Youth Award 2009 for his relief efforts during Bihar floods. Dr Ravikant Singh dedicated the award to his batchmate,Dr Chandrakant Patil,a resident doctor from King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital,who lost his life while helping flood victims in 2008. I dedicate this award to Dr Chandrakant Patil,who sacrificed his life for the cause. I believe that he was the force and guiding angel for me and our team, said Dr Singh.

Dr Patil was part of a 48-member team deputed to Bihar from September 17 to September 27 to help flood victims. The doctors were operating from a make-shift hospital at Katariya,Supaul,when the 24-year-old sustained serious burns after being struck by lightning and died.

The team of doctors from Doctors for You worked for Bihar Flood Relief till September 21,2008 and returned after the death of Dr Patil. Dr Patil along with his team treated over a lakh of patients. However,Dr Singh and few other doctors went back to Bihar in October last year and continued relief work.

Dr Singh said,It would have been unfair to abort the mission midway especially when Dr Patil was so passionate about the cause. So we went again in October.

The centre,Doctors For You,has been established with an intention to carry out relief operation in the future with an immediate effect in times of disaster, added Dr.Singh.

Dr Singh was selected by the SAARC selection committee on April 9 this year. The award will be conferred upon him in the 32nd session of the Council of Ministers in Thimphu on April 27.

In Saharsa District in Bihar,Doctors For You is running a child care & maternity centre in association with Mercy Malaysia where over 30,000 patients have been treated so far.

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