In good faith

PUNE, July 17: The Guru Nanak Medical Foundation was formed by the contribution of Sadh Sangat, Pune in the premises of the Gurudwara Gur...

PUNE, July 17: The Guru Nanak Medical Foundation was formed by the contribution of Sadh Sangat, Pune in the premises of the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar on the Gurudwara road (Camp). This concern and commitment to service of the poor and needy is clearly reflected in the work of the trustees. A small dispensary was initially managed by two doctors, Dr S P Chadha and Dr Sial, and another medical officer. This dispensary was formed initially with the idea of converting it into a hospital in the near future.

It started with an OPD first in a small room and slowly a lab was set up in the adjacent room with consultants and specialists working as honorary doctors. On January 13, 1997 this dispensary took the shape of a hospital named Guru Nanak Medical Foundation. It was inaugurated in the presence of Singhji Sahib Jathedar of Sri Akal Takat Sahib (Amritsar), Kesharghar Sahib (Anantpur Sahib), Singh Sahib Jathedar of Takat Dam, Dama Sahib, Bhai Kewal Singhji, Bhai Manjit Singhji and the head Granthi of the Gurudwara Gyani Hardit Singh.

The hospital offers free treatment and medicines to all, irrespective of caste and creed. It only charges 50 per cent of the market rates for lab tests and a mere Rs 100 for sonography tests. This hospital has been receiving donations and equipment from many people and the Sangat. It has a total of 14 doctors out of which 11 are honorary. The hospital treats about 50 to 60 patients on an average daily and the staff has been as caring as ever. The cost of medicines given free far exceeds the staff salary, which automatically speaks for the hospital’s efficient functioning.

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The hospital has machines for magnetotherapy and sonography and a very impressive eye department. The pride of the hospital is the Auto-analyser Acto-1, a machine of the pathology department which can conduct upto 30 tests at a time. This can also work as a personal computer and takes 10 minutes for the incubation period. It is one of the latest machines in the market and can store memory upto three years.

The foundation holds a blood donation camp every year on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti. It recently held a cancer detection camp and a pulse polio mass immunisation camp. Further camps like ENT, diabetic detection are to follow in near future. An operation theatre is on the cards in the future along with a deaf-mute centre to train them. The hospital plans to open an eye surgery department very soon. This hospital till now only caters to out-patients. In case of an emergency the cases are referred to Ruby Hall, Jehangir and Inlaks Budhrani hospitals.

The hospital has a total of 24 rooms out of which 14 are occupied and the unoccupied ones would soon be accommodating a radiology centre and a cardiac unit. This Gurudwara also runs a school in its premises called the Guru Nanak Public School which presently holds three classes Playgroup, Lower KG and Upper KG with each classroom been named after a holy saint. The school is presently holding its first academic year and plans to add one higher class every year.

The school has a spacious building with many modern amenities and an auditorium. The school believes in a play way’ method during which education is imparted to the child through the concept of making it fun. Toys are aplenty with a cupboard-full in each class. The checked uniforms of the children and the colourful walls of the classrooms make the children of that school look forward to attending it every morning. The friendly teachers do fill up for the absence of parents in school. The amount of knowledge that the children attain in this school certainly supports the statement that the school is their second home. One could term it as an ideal school to start schooling with.