A left turn about 30km from Bengaluru on the National Highway linking the Karnataka capital with Pune leads to Dr Ramana Rao Road in Byadarahalli village. On Sundays, it is common to find a large number of men and women on the road, patiently waiting to be examined by Dr Ramana Rao, the 73-year-old cardiologist who runs a free clinic, ‘Bhanuvara Grama Chikitsalaya’ (Sunday village clinic).
Rao’s sprawling farmhouse comes alive on Sundays when specialist doctors from Bengaluru drive down to treat patients from neighbouring villages and districts. Many of the patients would leave their homes the previous day and spend the night in the shelter outside the clinic, which has been running uninterrupted for the past 51 years. It has treated almost 18 lakh patients, setting a benchmark in rural service.
Choudamma from Doddaballapura and Sulthan Bi from Gauribidanur are among the many women who have been visiting the clinic for the past 30 years. “I get treated for all my ailments as it is free and the medicines always work. Like me, many women suffer from age-related illnesses, weak bones, leg pain, body ache and weakness,” said the 55-year-old.
Pushpamma of Basapura village suffers from osteoporosis. “We work as daily wagers, domestic helps and farm hands and we also do our household chores,” she said. “But our livelihood depends on hard work. We get our daily dose of medicines and self-care kits, blankets and walking sticks. The clinic is part of our life.”
In the men’s queue, Mohammad Pasha, 56, a stone quarry worker, embraces the doctor, who asks about his abdominal pain. “For the past 15 years, I have been attending the clinic for my abdominal pain and gastric problem. The doctor has saved me and many poor patients who cannot afford to go to the city hospitals. I have had bitter experiences with them. Once a hospital performed a surgery on me for a simple stomach ache. Another time, I was admitted for fever and they told me it was malaria and gave me a bill for Rs40,000,” said Pasha.
At the consultation area, doctors are busy attending to a stream of patients, while the referral desk hands out coloured tokens as directed by the doctors. The patients carry the tokens to collect their medicines at the pharmacy and then, if needed, get directed to different specialists―cardiologist, endocrinologist, dental surgeon, dermatologist, ophthalmologist and nutritionist―for further examination.
When a middle-aged woman who can hardly walk because of her leg pain slumps into a chair, Rao, noticing her gait and facial expression, examines her knees. He diagnoses it as a case of osteoporosis after examining the creaky knee and the fluid accumulation. “There is no strength in the bones,” he said, prescribing pain killers.
With an increase in life expectancy to 70 years, villages today have elders who are unable to walk because of age-related issues or a bad fall. “We started distributing free walking sticks to help prevent falls and fractures. The old patients suffer from arthritis, hypertension and diabetes and require frequent monitoring and proper medication. At the village clinic, we help them manage the diseases and help them live with dignity,” said Rao.
At a different desk, Rao’s younger son, Dr Abhijeet Bhograj, examines a patient who says her hands keep shivering so much so that she is unable to hold even a glass of water. The doctor suspects it is the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and educates the patient on nutrition and mobility and how to prevent a fall. The next level of treatment would follow at a referral centre.
Byadarahalli panchayat president B.T. Ramachandra, who has been part of the Sunday clinic since his childhood, spoke about how Rao touched the lives of ordinary people. “It helps the locals as the nearest government health clinic is some distance away and the private hospital is not affordable. The doctor has also helped the nearby schools and temples get clean drinking water.”
The idea of a free clinic in the village was a dream nurtured by Rao since his childhood. “In 1956, my father was working for the Tungabhadra dam project. Whenever they blasted rocks, people got injured and my father used to drive them to hospital in his jeep. When I asked him about reducing their pain, he told me that I could do so by becoming a doctor. The day I got my MBBS degree, my father inaugurated this free village clinic,” said Rao, who did his MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (1973), and MD in medicine and cardiology from Bangalore Medical College (1980).
“Medical education should be put to good use by treating a large number of patients, especially in the underserved areas. In rural areas, there is a dearth of doctors, medicines, facilities and manpower,” said Rao, who is assisted by his wife, Hema, his two sons―Dr Charit Bhograj, an interventional cardiologist, and Dr Abhijeet, an endocrinologist, and daughters-in-law Dr Santini and Jahnavi, along with a big team of volunteers.
The clinic runs on funding from donors and organisations through the Raj Prakash Trust set up in 1973. Once a month, it runs an eye care camp and free cataract surgery is performed on 30-50 needy patients at partner hospitals.
“My husband never travels on weekends as he does not like to miss the Sunday clinic,” said Hema. An economics graduate from Delhi University and daughter of an Army officer, she found her life partner through a common relative. “I started assisting him in his clinic, answering calls and driving emergency cases to the nearest hospital as there were only a few ambulances those days,” said Hema. “The clinic was always in the house and never separated from my personal space. Our boys grew up by themselves and have been involved with the clinic since childhood, just like how my grandchildren are taking an interest now.”
Abhijeet remembers how he and his brother helped in running the clinic as children. “We used to organise the queues and hand over tokens. My father never asked us to become doctors. But once you see the work, it changes your perspective and you realise what you can do for society,” said Abhijeet, who usually screens patients for diabetes and thyroid issues. “Diabetes is no longer the disease of the rich as food habits in rural India have changed drastically and the use of refined food is rampant, leading to obesity,” he said.
Abhijeet’s wife Jahnavi compliments his work by serving as a nutritionist. “As a clinical dietician, I look after the nutrition programme. We provide a balanced meal. We don’t force patients to change their diet plan, but gradually help them inculcate healthy eating,” said Jahnavi.
Dr Charit, who works in a corporate hospital, also runs a software startup called Tricog. Said Rao, “When I do an ECG at the clinic, it can be transmitted to a corporate hospital where cardiologists can diagnose the condition and recommend the course of treatment. It eliminates the element of distance. This was what I had dreamt of decades ago for my village clinic.”
Dr Santini has seen patients with skin allergies, which are occupation-related. The use of pesticides and chemicals in the farms has made people vulnerable to diseases. “We see fungal and bacterial infections caused by hygiene issues. When you treat rural patients, you don’t simply treat the disease, but explain to them how to use the medication and educate them on lifestyle modification,” she said.
Hema attributes the success of the Sunday clinic to her husband’s disciplined life and dedication. Rao wakes up by 6.30am and goes for a walk. He feels it is important to maintain the body weight and metabolism. “Every day, you should spend at least 30 minutes walking or cycling to keep good health. I keep away from smoking, oily food and sweets and sparingly drink alcohol,” he said.
Rao believes that heart care starts with proper nutrition and exercise. “Listen to your body and never over-exert. Avoid junk food as it leads to the clogging of blood vessels. Stress is a common factor in our life. But one should master the art of shrinking, and shrink the number of things you want to accomplish in a single day,” said Rao. “Avoid getting angry as it shoots up the systolic blood pressure and results in stroke. Lack of exercise leads to obesity and puts more pressure on your knees and back as the wear and tear is more. Vaccines, including Covid vaccines, are lifesavers, but with mild side-effects. But benefits outweigh the side-effects. At the same time, rational use of medicines will save us from developing drug resistance.”
A recipient of the Padma Shri, the Karnataka Rajyotsava award and the B.C. Roy award, Rao is popularly known as “Rajkumar’s doctor” as he was the personal physician to the legendary Kannada actor, the late Dr Rajkumar. “I was part of his family, not just his family doctor,” said Rao. “In 1995-96, I was at my Sadashivnagar clinic in Bengaluru and Dr Rajkumar had sent word that he would like to see me. A few moments later, my assistant told me that there was a “godly” person standing at the gate. I bent down to touch his feet, but he pulled me up and hugged me. He insisted that he would wait for his turn as there was a long queue of patients. We offered him a cup of coffee and after finishing it, he said it was excellent and wanted to have another cup.”
That was the beginning Rao’s association with the Rajkumar family. “Dr Rajkumar was fit as he was very disciplined and exercised regularly,” said Rao. The dining hall at the Sunday clinic is named after the superstar.
Rao is also a nature lover and a gardening enthusiast, who is proud of the tree park, the fruit orchards and the green lawns at his farm house. He loves talking about the ‘heritage tree’ in his park. “Almost 30 years ago, I transplanted a 223-year-old tree that was uprooted for highway work. Its trunk has a diameter of 27 feet. The tree has survived for more than three decades and is expanding,” he said.
Of Rao’s four grandchildren, Anjana, who is in class seven, and Ram, a plus one student, appear to be keen on carrying forward the family tradition. Both of them volunteer week after week at the clinic. “I know the medical profession is a tough one and it takes almost 11 years of professional education. But my grandfather says it is easy,” said Anjana. “People ask me if I am being forced to become a doctor. I tell them that I am inspired to become one.”