A Doctor Who Treatments The Elderly And Physically Challenged In A Mobile Van – Doctor On Wheels!

A doctor’s idea to combine the delivery of meals and groceries to doorsteps with medical treatment and medication delivery gave rise to the Dr. On Wheels program…

In Madurai, there lives Prabhakar Rao. His mom was eighty-three. She occasionally became unwell from old age. However, Prabhakar has found it difficult to get the elderly guy back to the hospital. Not only for him, but for anyone with senior family members at home, getting them to the hospital is a challenge.

Prabhakar found the answer in the medical mobile van of Dr. Chandramelali. He refers to the van as a “mini ICU.” Because Dr. Chandramelali uses a customized Maruti EECO special vehicle to deliver door-to-door medical care equipped with necessary ICU equipment including oxygen cylinders, syringe drivers, and infusion pumps.

Chandramelali checks Rao’s mother, who is eighty-three, in-depth in a mobile van and treats her for urinary tract infections, bedsores, and fluid retention in her legs.

“This is a fantastic initiative—a mobile health clinic that comes to the elderly’s door.” When we have asked him for assistance, he has never once failed to respond,” says a thankful Rao.

Dr. Chandramelali of Madurai founded this “Doctor on Wheels” initiative in 2019. It seeks to provide access to healthcare for a broad population, with a focus on elderly adults over 60.

“The goal of this mobile clinic is to offer healthcare to the public. We provide care for the elderly and those with impairments,” Chandramelali says.

Can’t medicine arrive at the doorstep with food?

Trichy is where Dr. Chandramelali was born. I was born, raised, and finished my education in Canada. In 2006, after finishing his degree, he went back to India to continue his medical studies.

He completed his emergency medicine master’s program and MBBS. He started working as a junior consultant in the intensive care unit of a private medical college hospital in 2015, having finished his study.

When I worked at the hospital, a lot of patients were turned away from the intensive care unit (ICU) due to a shortage of beds or inability to pay for their care. Chandramelali was deeply impacted by these incidents. Simultaneously, a strong bond with his grandmother motivated him to launch an elderly assistance program.

Older people require extra affection and attention. They are mature kids. They require a professional who can sit by them and pay close attention to their health-related worries. The elderly have a difficult time finding doctors for several reasons. In particular, it hurts to go from hospitals to homes and from homes to hospitals.”

The elderly must visit the hospital and wait in enormous lines to see a doctor, even for a basic check-up.

“In most foreign countries, doctors treat the elderly at home.”Why is it that we are unable to provide groceries and food at doorsteps along with medical care and medication?

In order to address this issue and satisfy his desire to help the elderly and society, Mr. Chandramelali founded a mobile hospital known as “Doctor on Wheels.”

Medicine delivered right to your door…

Chandramelali used to see just eight patients a month, but these days she sees more than 600 patients at their homes. He has eight people working for him on this project, including a driver, physiotherapists, radiologists, and physician assistants.

Depending on the patients’ conditions, he conducts weekly, fortnightly, or monthly medical check-ups with the team. Three in the morning is when a doctor’s day begins. He treats patients at his clinic from 10 am to 12 pm and from 7 pm to 9 pm. He commutes to the mobile hospital till 10 am. Between 4 and 7 p.m., he is on duty at the mobile hospital.

“I found it challenging to hurriedly go from one place to another during the day. I barely sleep for two or three hours every day. My body will not cooperate with treating the emergency patients if I travel in this manner going forward. I choose to adhere to the appointment system as a result,” he remarked.

The residents of Madurai and the surrounding districts of Sivagangai, Dindigul, and Virudhunagar are served by Dr. On Wheels. The amount of the price varies based on the distance the medical team must travel, from Rs. 300 to Rs. 800.

“I would like to work for nothing at all. But this endeavor cannot continue if I do. I continue to have enormous costs. But I don’t charge the patient’s family anything if they feel underprivileged,” he stated.

The physician at Dr. On Wheels meets with new patients one-on-one, hears about their concerns, and then suggests a course of care.

As a result, his team offers patients post-hospital support, palliative care, and basic consultations. The medical staff takes blood samples for testing in addition to administering medication. Along with many other amenities, it provides portable X-rays.

I am a physician, therefore I am aware of the drawbacks of treating patients at home. UTIs and bed sores can be managed at home. I encourage them to receive treatment in a hospital if the issue is significant, such as a heart condition or stroke. It goes without saying that this mobile van treatment is not a replacement for hospitals,” he clarified.

He has made the decision to establish a facility in Madurai that will house a two-story hospital and a nursing home. The path of Dr. Chandramouli was not without difficulties. His home-based medical practice necessitates lengthy working hours and frequent travel.

“To avoid traffic, we set off early in the morning on our excursion. We occasionally have a long distance to travel. In these kinds of conditions, traveling becomes problematic.

I put in fourteen hours a day at work. Spending time with family has thus decreased significantly. My spouse and kids are helping me on this path by being aware of the circumstances. I regret not having more time to spend with them, though.

“What drives me to pursue this career is the joy I derive from caring for the elderly.” Senior folks’ smiles when they receive comfort and updates about their health are genuinely heartwarming. “It’s incredibly fulfilling that I can make a positive difference in someone’s life every day,” he said with delight.