On Tuesday afternoon around 2:00 pm when Ghatkopar station was sparsely crowded an unusual scene played out. Gudiya Mohammad Ibrar Shaikh was travelling from Titwala to Dadar to get admitted for delivery when she experienced labour pain at Ghatkopar Station. Unable to bear the pain, Shaikh got down from the train with her husband where she delivered a baby girl on the railway platform at Ghatkopar station with the help from doctors from a ‘One Rupee Clinic’ who rushed to help her.
“The baby is healthy it weighs 2.5kg and the mother is absolutely fine. They have been sent to Rajawadi Hospital for further treatment. The One rupee Clinic has proven its necessity in crowded places. We are very happy to serve more people in Mumbai,” said Dr Rahul Ghule, the man behind the concept of ‘One Rupee Clinic’. This is the first time wherein a child was delivered for just one rupee at a clinic
About two months ago, an initiative was started, ‘One Rupee Clinic’ wherein doctors voluntarily give medical treatment for a rupee in select railway stations. Currently, the services of these clinics are available at various stations like Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vashi, Wadala Road and Mulund.
The cost of the healthcare services and the medical treatment has increased almost three-fold in recent past. Healthcare facilities are now looking beyond the common man’s reach. The common man can’t afford better healthcare facilities, due to the financial constraints. The budget of a household collapses, if the cost of medical care goes beyond their capacity.
“The plight of the common man is the motivational force behind the ‘One Rupee Clinic’, this clinic is a common man’s clinic; where people can avail medical facilities by paying just One Rupee,” said Dr. Ghule.