How to Organize a Free Medical Camp

Organizing a free medical camp isn’t an easy task. However, if done correctly, it can potentially help a lot of people to get healthcare free of cost. Though many hospitals organize free camps, in which a sizeable number of patients turn up only when the medical services are given free of cost. Later, these patients do not make it to the hospital for further checkups because they feel it’s too costly to pay a visit. NGOs and Medical Trusts also organize free medical camps and in many cases, people are seen to show up for further treatment in the recommended hospitals because those treatments are entirely funded by the Trust or NGO’s.

Before organizing the medical camp you should decide what kind of medical camp you are setting up..It can be Diagnostic, Treatment or both. Try to do a survey on the type and size of the population you are about to serve. This will give you an estimate of things and quantity that are needed. Below are the things that are essential to set up the camp:

How to Organize a Free Medical Camp

1 – A number of doctors required like General physicians or Specialists separately.

2 – The number of drugs required depending on how many people you are expecting.

3 – Instruments like BP apparatus, Glucometer, Glucostrips, ECG machine, Needles, spirit, cotton, etc.

4 – Other manpower like :Pharmacists, nurse, and

5 – Stationary and other materials.

You can get manpower from a nearby hospital which may be a government or a private hospital. Many people advise seeking help from the private hospitals because in government hospitals you often need a political backing to get their staff. Private hospitals either charge you some money or may provide it for free. You also need to get in touch with an NGO or any community-based organization for they might fund to set up the camp and also provide volunteers.

-> Importance and Objectives of the Free Medical Camp

Organize the camp on a holiday or a weekend. This will allow more patients to visit the camp. Make sure you carry a lot of medicine samples to be distributed free among the patients. IT would be a wise decision to set up the camp with the association of an NGO or some local government body or politicians or businessmen or all of these to bear some percentage of expenses for the procedures you would carry out.

Now informing the public about your camp is essential and the success of your camp depends on the effectiveness of your public relations. Design Pamphlets witha catchy headline, use short sentences, mention free medicines, including a picture ofit to catch attention. You can contact the local hawker to use these pamphlets as by  inserting them in the daily newspapers.

Hire a person to announce the event date and other essentials using a loudspeaker mounted on the top of a vehicle. You can have these announcements be made in the form of a poem or a song which will immediately gain publicattention.

Put up banners at a decent height so that it is visible in places like bus stand or a busy crossing.Run an ad on the local cable TV channel with highlights of the medical services that are free.

Organize a small opening ceremony for the camp.To inaugurate the camp choose a businessman, president of an NGO, local MLA or the Deputy Commissioner who already has a good reputation for social service amongst the people.

During the camp manage the crowd in a systematic way. Make sure that people do not have to wait for long hours and are taken good care of. People are likely to get upset if they experience any bad behavior or service. Also, keep a guy who will take the addresses and phone numbers of all the potential patients so that they are informed whenever you have another camp in the area.

Organizing a medical camp is a serious work which requires sincerity and a team in which at least one is a marketing professional with some exposure in that area. While organizing the medical camp you should keep in mind that it has a noble purpose to serve. So every patient visiting the camp must be treated with respect and dignity.