Swavalamban Evening Clinic

Crop failures, uneconomic farming and consequential rural poverty and destitution lead to exodus of people from villages and small towns to cities like Delhi to eke out a living. Hopes and expectations of these people, however, get dashed when they realize that their life in cities is nothing more than a mere struggle for survival. Low educational qualifications in many of the cases and poor skill levels leave these migrants from villages and small towns with no options but to take up jobs as daily wage labour, domestic help, guard, rickshaw-puller, etc, for meager wages. With measly earnings, these migrants are unable to find a reasonably comfortable dwelling place and invariably end up occupying unauthorized and extremely uninhabitable temporary colonies and slums on the outskirts of the cities or along railway tracks and river banks. Lack of basic infrastructure and civic amenities such as safe drinking water, basic health care facilities, electricity supply, sanitation, proper roads etc. further aggravate their situation. Delhi-NCR, with its suburbs and industrial areas is home to a huge population (several hundred thousands) of migrant workers, mostly un-skilled and are forced to live in pitiable and inhuman conditions in resettlement colonies and slums.

To ensure better quality of life for such a huge migrant labour population, in and around Kapashera in South West Delhi, a Charitable Clinic called ‘Swavalamban Evening Clinic’ an innovative initiative which aims at providing quality, preventive and curative health care facilities in the evening hours from 4 to 8 pm at Kapashera with majority daily wages, migrant population working in small, medium and micro enterprises is being run at Kapashera, Behind DC Office, Near Radha Krishna Mandir.

There are specialized doctors who are available at the clinic to give consultation to the patients. The doctors visit the clinic on designated days. Moreover, special health camps like General Health Camps, OPD Camps, Eye Check up Camps are regularly organized in the field and at the clinic. In most of the camps onsite blood tests are done. The camps are really important as it provides, especially to people who are indifferent to symptoms of illness, an opportunity to get themselves checked and treated at their door step.

The clinic therefore provides a great platform for the low earning income group and the under privileged people of the community to consult specialised and experienced doctors, get useful medicines and lead a healthy life.

Till now, more than 22549 patients have been registered at the clinic and sensitised more than 1 lacs people of the community on health issues.