There were days when our Gusbethi Hospital unit was devoid of any pediatrician. Children were at the mercy of quacks, operating in the region as people neither had the means nor resources to visit hospitals in posh Gurgaon. Superstitions galore and people used to follow some natural remedies or Totkas to treat their children. We had been struggling to find a doctor but to no avail.

Inauguration of Pediatric Unit in GusbethiAs destiny would have it, one of our benefactors Mr. Tanuj Berri, who has been regularly contributing for our causes, introduced us to Dr. Amitava Sen Gupta — a Pediatrician and Director, Child and Women Department, Paras Hospital, Gurgaon. Dr. Sen Gupta had been looking after Mr. Berri’s children since childhood. When Mr. Berri introduced Mr. T K Mathew to Dr. Amitava Sen Gupta, he was impressed by the way Deepalaya is trying to bring a change in the region.

At that time, one of our children, Nishtha, enrolled at Childrens’ home was suffering from tongue tie. We had consulted many doctors but nothing worked out for her. Dr. Amitava Sen Gupta made necessary arrangements and helped us in getting a huge concession at Paras Hospital for her treatment. It was a beginning and foundation for a relationship that flourished and brought tangible results during the next one year.

Last year, when Mr. Mathew met Mr. Tanuj Berri once again the possibility of collaboration with Dr. Amitava SenReception area of the pediatric registrations Gupta was discussed. Dr. Amitava Sen Gupta visited the unit with his son Dr. Arnav Sen Gupta, who was also impressed by our mission to serve the community.

Dr. Arnav Sen Gupta, a pediatrician dentist, started visiting the hospital once a week from September 2014 onwards. He alongwith his team identified children with dental problems and reached out to 300 children last year. While children requiring general treatment was given medicine free of cost, those who required further treatment like, root canal, filling, extraction etc. were asked to visit his clinic at Gurgaon, where they were not even given treatment and medicine but also sumptuous food and drinks.

It was amazing to see a young doctor serve the community which such dedication, free of cost, without compromising on the quality. As things moved on Dr. Amitava Sen Gupta envisaged a pediatric unit at Gusebthi. A section of the hospital unit was renovated, equipped with latest machines and decorated with cartoon characters to attract children coming for treatment.

Dr. Amitava Sen Gupta is seeing the patientDr. Amitava Sen Gupta identified a doctor who was supposed to visit the pediatric unit twice a week. However, he backed out later on. Considering the reluctance from other doctors, Mr. Amitava Sen Gupta resolved to attend the unit once a week.

The pediatric unit was formally inaugurated on 15th July, 2015 in the presence of Mr. T K Mathew and local community. The DMO was also invited though he could not make it to the venue due to his busy schedule. Mr. Ajay Gupta took the responsibility of creating awareness and identified 20 children for treatment on the first day though Mr. Amitava wanted only 10 as he devotes ample time for observingand interacting with his patient. The number was quiet less due to Eid celebrations and are expected to rise during the coming weeks though it would certainly be a challenge for us to manage such large number in one day.

Despite all the problems and difficulties, we are hopeful of providing five different types of services at our hospital unit – OPD, Pediatric Dental, Pediatric general, ophthalmologic and gynecology in near future. With doctors like Amitava Sen Gupta and Arnab Sen Gupta supporting us, we are hopeful of making it a ploy-clinic and self-reliant in the coming few years.