A team of health professionals from Huddersfield and Calderdale have recently returned from India where they provided essential and life-saving medical services for thousands of the country’s poorest people. It was a life-changing experience for the volunteers. HILARIE STELFOX reports

DR VIJAY BANGAR has been helping the sick and needy in the Indian Punjab for the past 10 years, but never fails to be moved by what he finds on his annual trips there.

He says it is tough on the volunteers both physically and mentally but all are totally dedicated to the cause.

The Consultant Diabetologist, who works in Huddersfield and Calderdale hospitals, said: “For most of us it’s quite shocking and the experience can be emotionally draining.

“There is no-one who doesn’t come back appreciating what we’ve got here.’’

The Slumdoctor Project, launched by Dr Bangar three years ago, takes teams of consultants, doctors, nurses and support volunteers from the UK to the northern Punjab village of Phillaur.

The organisation grew from his work with two Indian charities.

This year’s Slumdoctor health care camp helped an astonishing 8,000 people of all ages.

Some patients had travelled up to 100km on foot to access the free medical help. For the poorest people in the region, even basic healthcare is normally unattainable and unaffordable.

“Our remit was to see every person that came through our doors,” said Dr Bangar.

“We saw some very poorly patients. Some required urgent hospital treatments. We purchased drugs locally and dispensed them as required. We arranged for operations to be carried out at a local charity hospital.

“We were overwhelmed by the love and respect from these people, some of whom had nothing.”

Over three days and working for 12 hours at a stretch, the team organised 300 eye operations, fitted 300 hearing aids, referred patients for many other types of surgery and treated up to 250 people with diabetes each day.

Dr Bangar, who is director of Slumdoctor, was joined by colleagues from all over the UK, including several staff from Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust.

Among them were Dennis McGonagle, Professor of Investigative Rheumatology at Leeds University and a local rheumatologist, ophthalmologist Mr Antonio Aguirre, GP Navjeet Dua, Primary Care Trust representative Harpreet Bahra and staff nurse George Quick.

To put his medical team together, Dr Bangar advertised for people willing to fund their own travelling and living expenses. Each volunteer paid betweeen £1,500 to £2,000 to finance the trip.

Among the non-medical volunteers were a number of Huddersfield businessmen who have been involved in raising funds for the Slumdoctor Project, including hotelier Sukhdev Handa, newsagent Pal Gill and brothers Major and Barry Thandi.

They were joined by other volunteers and medical personnel – 30 in total – from all over the UK.

As a diabetologist, Dr Bangar saw many patients suffering from uncontrolled diabetes.

He said: “Some people are not taking anything for their diabetes because they can’t afford it while others are struggling to pay £10 a month for medication.

“They think it is inevitable they will lose their eyesight and their feet and die early.

“Insulin is quite expensive and most people can’t afford it, so we have made an agreement with a drug company to provide it free for the under-18s.”

Mr Aguirre, who works in both adult and paediatric opthamology, says most of his surgical work was with patients suffering from cataracts.

“They would all have gone blind without surgery,” he said. “The only chance they had was a team like ours.”

Dr Bangar’s medical assistance to the people of Phillaur began a decade ago after he heard about the work of two Punjabi charities, Sant Sarwan Dass, which runs a hospital, and the Baba Braham Dass Charitable Trust.

“I was working with Indian doctors and nurses, but thought it would be a good idea to get some English health professionals to go there,” said Dr Bangar, whose mother’s family comes from the region.

Certain patients create a lasting impression. His laptop is loaded with thousands of photographs taken during medical camp visits.

Some feature tiny, emaciated children with distended bellies. He can recall many individual stories.

“They are so memorable because it’s so grim,” he said.

“One little girl was brought in by her mother three years ago with asthma that was so severe she couldn’t eat properly.

“All she needed was an inhaler so we arranged for her to get a year’s supply. She comes to see us every year and now she’s fine. She took me to where she lives in the slums and the place is full of smoke all the time to repel the mosquitoes. She has an allergy to the smoke.”

Another child, suffering from undiagnosed coeliac disease, was in such a shocking condition when he was brought to the medical camp back in 2004 that Dr Bangar believes he would almost have certainly died without Slumdoctor.

“He was 12-years-old, but looked about five,’’ said Dr Bangar. “He had heart murmurs, anaemia, a big liver and a big spleen. He was really end-stage.

“But with a diagnosis and the right diet we have hopefully saved his life.”

Patients who require general medical, gynaecological and neurological surgery are referred to the local hospital and paid for by Slumdoctor.

The bill for much of this year’s hospital treatments has yet to arrive.

Travelling to India has, he believes, completely changed his view of life and left its mark on colleagues.They are particularly shocked by the level of suffering among people with diseases that can be so easily treated.

Prof McGonagle, who saw many patients with bone and joint problems, said: “The poverty is such that many patients with mild arthritis can’t even afford painkillers.

“The whole experience makes you appreciate the amazing infrastructure in the UK that underpins the wonderful NHS service we have.”

When Dr Bangar began his annual work in the Punjab, the medical camp cost about £1,000 to run, but now that figure has risen to over £20,000 and the numbers of patients increases each year.

“None of us who work for the charity do it for the glory,’’ he said. “We just want to help people.

“At the moment we’re looking for fundraisers and someone to look after our website (www.slumdoctor.co.uk).”

l For more details about how to help check out the Slumdoctor Project on Facebook.