First geriatric clinic inaugurated in Berhampur City

The first geriatric clinic in the city was inaugurated on the campus of the Red Cross Hospital. It will provide free check- up and advice to the aged. It was inaugurated by Bikash Mohapatra, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), and southern division, in the presence of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ajit Mishra, Berhampur Sub-Collector Bijay Kumar Das, several doctors, and dignitaries of the city. Honorary superintendent of the Berhampur Red Cross Hospital was also present.

The clinic is a joint effort of Ganjam district unit of Indian Red Cross Society and city organization of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

IMA local unit secretary K.K. Panigrahy, who also happens to be the honorary additional superintendent of the Red Cross Hospital, said initially the clinic would function on third Sunday of every month. With increase in number of patients, after six months it may start to function once every week, said Dr. Panigrahy. As per an assessment, around 20 per cent of the population in the city were aged. But till now there was no specialised centre to provide medical consultation to the patients suffering from geriatric problems. The aged of the city till now did not have a centre where they could consult about their day-to-day medical problems related to aging, Dr. Panigrahy said.

Health check-up

At the clinic, the aged patients would be provided regular free check-up and counselling to maintain their health. They would also be advised to delay the aging process through proper diet and healthy lifestyle. Medical advices and free check-up would be provided for the diseases common with aging like hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, diminishing power of sense organs, gastro-intestinal and genito-urinary diseases. Their psycho-somatic problems would also be addressed.

Initially three specialists from departments of medicine, urology, and geriatric medicine would manage the clinic. In case of major ailments, the patients would be referred to referral hospitals where they could get proper medical care.

The guests, who attended the inaugural were of the opinion that along with aging a person faces several challenges in life that includes social and economic problems, psychological as well as physical aspects of aging. These include aspects of intellectual performance and personal adjustment along with pathological deviations, diseases, and general biological aspects of aging. Source : The Hindu