Darjeeling: It’s a New Year gift Darjeeling will never forget. On Sunday, the hill resort finally got its first CT scan machine - not from the government, but its own people.
With the machine costing upwards of Rs 1 crore, it was an uphill climb. But the Hills people called it Sanjeevni, the gift of life, and pitched in with whatever they could - porters, businessmen, NRI Nepalis and planters alike.
The two-year mission is indicative of a surging change sweeping through Darjeeling. Last month, it was the local people who forced GNLF to rethink an indefinite bandh call, and this time, again it’s the people who decided to act on their own after the authorities refused to heed their problems.
"We had to take a bumpy ride to the plains every time someone needed a CT scan. It was very expensive (Rs 4,000-5,000) and we often got duped, but the administration did not bother about us. So, when I got a chance to change things, I did my bit, in whatever little way," says porter Passang Sherpa, who gave away a day’s earning of Rs 100 to the mission.
Most individuals who donated for the CT scanner, including an NRI Nepali who gave Rs 1 lakh, did so anonymously. Street vendors pooled in Rs 1 lakh and the planters’ association pitched in with Rs 5 lakh.
"It took two years but it was well worth it. Little by little, we did it, all on our own," said Dr P D Bhutia, secretary of the Sanjeevni CT Scan Mission. "It will be a boon for the people."
The machine has been housed near the Ava Art Gallery. It can diagnose 33 kinds of medical problems, at a cost less then half of what people would have to cough up if they had to go to Siliguri.
As a gesture of gratitude, Bhutia said, those who donated to the cause will get a 15% discount. "We will extend this concession to poor patients also."
Source: The Times of India
People's own CT scan machine in Darjeeling
Thursday,Jan3, at 2:42 AM Labels: ct scan darjeeling, darjeeling, darjeeling news
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