Narayan Singh: Hope Comes Home in a Van, (MP)

Narayan Singh’s world almost came to a crashing end with an attack of acute asthma. With no financial backup and awareness about the condition, the 66 year old daily wage laborer from Gidiya village in Madhya Pradesh entered a phase of severe depression. By the time GIDF arrived at his village, he was almost on the verge of killing himself.

Asthma is common among workers here due to high levels of ambient dust. Like Narayan, they keep working despite asthma, and their condition keeps worsening due to continued exposure to dust and lack of proper, timely advice and treatment.

Narayan’s village has no Primary Health Centre, and his only hope was 32 kms away, at the Raghogarh Block Hospital. For an asthma patient, it’s practically impossible to travel so much, even on a bicycle.

Eventually, Narayan lost his job, and along with it, his desire to keep living. It was then GIDF’s Health Initiative – The Mobile Health Outreach Programme, entered Gidiya, Narayan’s village. Through this, GIDF takes free health screening facilities to remote villages of India that lack even the most basic healthcare infrastructure. Hope comes home in the shape of a fully equipped mobile healthcare van.

Along with medication, GIDF Health Counselors encouraged Narayan to look at life positively. His family and friends were roped in to support his speedy recovery. Within four months, almost like a miracle, he was back on his feet, completely cured of asthma and ready to start afresh. Today, Narayan’s family is proud of the positive energy he brings home.

We believe a whole lot of Narayan’s are in lookout for us across India, and that with sincerity and dedication, many such positive recoveries can immensely boost the confidence of rural India.