AIIMS-Patna will organise a camp at Bara village in Masaurhi in Patna district on Thursday to provide quality services to the people.

Bara village is under the jurisdiction of Bhagwanpur police station in Masaurhi (a Naxalite-affected area on the border of Bihar and Jehanabad).

Thirty AIIMS-Patna specialists would take part in the camp, being organised in association with police.

AIIMS director G.K. Singh said apart from providing quality services to the people, the camp would also assess the kind of diseases prevailing in the village.

“Officials of Patna police requested us to hold a camp at Bara village. Since we aim to reach out to a large population, we decided to organise the camp. The camp would also help us understand the kind of diseases prevalent in the village. This would help us understand the epidemiology of different diseases in the state.”

Sanjeev, a cardio thoracic specialist of AIIMS-Patna, said the initiative is also a part of community policing.

“Police perform welfare activities in Naxalite-affected and other sensitive areas to encourage people to cooperate with them in curbing crimes. This is called community policing. Apart from providing quality healthcare, this camp would also help build a bond among the people, doctors and the police. Therefore, the people would co-operate with the police in effective policing.”

Anupam Kumar, the additional superintendent of police (operations), admitted that such camps would help them come closer to the people of the Naxalite-affected areas.

“We want to make an impression that police are concerned about the villagers and are with them in all kinds of situations. Along with the camp, a street play would also be organised on this occasion that would focus on the effects of Naxalism in the rural areas,” Anupam Kumar said.

Around 10,000 people are expected to turn up for the occasion. Senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj, rural superintendent of police B.K. Jha and the sub-divisional officer of Masaurhi would also attend the camp along with the AIIMS director.

Sanjeev, the AIIMS doctor, said various specialists would take part in the camp, which would be held from 10am to 4pm.

“Thirty doctors from various fields of AIIMS-Patna, including medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, cardio thoracic and neurology, are scheduled to take part in the camp. Various tests, including blood pressure, sugar and ECG, would be conducted in the camp.”

Commenting on whether AIIMS-Patna would do a follow-up of the cases, Sanjeev said: “We would ask the rural deputy superintendent of police to keep a tab on the cases and the patients who need treatment, could be referred to AIIMS-Patna. Initial investigation is not enough, follow-up of the cases is also necessary. Therefore, we have decided to ask the rural deputy superintendent of police to help us on this front.”

Anupam Kumar, the additional superintendent of police (operations), said free drugs would be provided to patients at the camp and the police department would bear the expenses.

The police department would hold such camps in other Naxalite-affected areas in the coming months.