Brief Report on the IWA Clinic
The Rotary Club of Bombay, in partnership with the International Women’s Association, has been running a clinic for indigent women and children in Mumbai. The clinic has been in operation for over 50 years, however our participation is more recent. Thanks to funds collected by the Rotary Club, the clinic underwent a major renovation in the last quarter of 2015. We currently provide primary health care, dental services and gynaecological services to women and children. The scope of services is being slowly expanded to include men as well. The goal of the clinic is prevention, along with treatment. The importance and efficacy of Pre natal check-ups and nutrition cannot be over emphasised.
Many problems can be dealt with in utero if detected in time or simply prevented with giving the expectant mother guidance and information. Studies have repeatedly established the critical nature of the first year in the growth of the infant brain. Stunted, due to poor nutrition or disease this deficit simply cannot be overcome in future years. The Rotary Club of Bombay is working to establish a Maternal and Child Care Unit that, we will provide services to the mother, from conception to delivery, and further provide services to the mother and child which will include check-ups and counseling. These services will be delivered at our clinic, by our doctors and staff in collaboration with other NGOs and government organisations as and when needed. CURRENT FUNCTIONING: The clinic is being looked after administratively, by Dr. Aspi Mehta, a senior physician who worked with the Tata group as a company doctor for more than twenty years. He also provides medical services, when needed.
We have a daily visiting doctor looking after ‘general practice’ for women and children, as well as visiting doctors, primarily gynaecologists. In addition, we have a full-fledged dental set up, with a full-time dentist providing care. The clinic is currently providing care to between 200-300 patients per month, and this number is steadily growing, as word of mouth of its services spread. SCHOOL CAMPS: The Clinic has already conducted three camps for school children, and will continue to do so on a regular basis.
The goal is to provide a preventive check-up for all school going children, covered by the various programs of the Rotary Club of Bombay, especially Bhavishya Yaan. In addition the clinic also hopes to provide these services for children with special needs. FUTURE PLANS: The Clinic has procured a state of the art imaging facility to provide digital X-ray service, a much-felt needed. The area is in the process of being set up, and will be functional in the near future. In addition, we are looking at the option of setting up a pathology service and considering the feasibility of the same.