What is Health Camp and what are the Guidelines for Successful Health Camp

Health Camps are mobile and are conducted in different locations by qualified doctors, nurses, and paramedics and community health workers. In most cases, these health camps are funded by NGO’s, Trusts or renowned Hospitals. Health camps are organized to help the poor to get healthcare free of cost. What is Health Camp and what are the Guidelines for Successful Health Camp.

When many hospitals organize free camps, a sizeable number of patients turn up because 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 camp there are a few things you need to consider such as the source of fund, time, the goal of the camp, approximate number of participants you are expecting to attend the camp, number of personnel you need to choose to conduct the health camp such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists etc.

There should be health workers or volunteers to assist these individuals when it comes to handling the participants during activities by maintaining a disciplined environment in the camp. The people whom you will hire must be physically fit to handle the pressures of working in the camp. They should also be prepared to mingle for a span of time with individuals who  have different needs and health problems.

Before starting the camp, team members should be trained and informed well about the basics of camping.This may include a conference about the latest updates on the field that is related to the disease or health problems you want to address through the camp.

-> Restoring Health in Rural Areas of Pakistan – Free medical camps

If you have any official website of your own it will help a great deal to reach your target individuals. Having a short article or note in the newspaper or press release may help a lot in promoting the camp because most people read the newspapers.

You can arrange a loudspeaker mounted on the top of a vehicle and hire a person to announce the event date and other particulars. Add innovative methods in these announcements to grab people’s attention. Banners can be put at a decent height so that is visible at places like bus stand or a busy crossing. 

The health campsite should be a comfortable place for the participants to relax. Making a survey beforehand the camp can help to find out what kind of  diseases are prevalent in the area which will help you to decide what type of campsite to choose. When your health camp aims towards  diagnosis diseases it is wise to launch the camp in a nice hostel or school/college campus on  the weekends that is just a few miles away from the hospital so that if an emergency occurs that is beyond your control you can still handle that efficiently.

If the health camp simply aims to spread awareness regarding proper hygiene and cleanliness, you may choose to have an outdoor campsite close to nature in order to enjoy what real camping feels like. Whatever site you choose you should make sure that the participants are comfortable while away from home and you can handle all the activities in a safe way.

Organizing a health camp is a serious work which requires sincerity. While organizing the health camp you should keep in mind that it has a noble purpose and it is solely organized to serve the unprivileged people.

The healthcare condition among the poor is pathetic. These people lack in quality healthcare due to increased cost, lack of doctors and medicines. Healthcare camps are the only hope for the poor people who cannot afford to pay for expensive treatments or medicines. Therefore patients should be treated with proper care, love, and respect in the camps. There should be no discrimination done at any stage of treatment.

Healthcare camps are the only hope for the unprivileged community where their problems are heard and resolved with respect and dignity. Let’s keep this flame of hope burning and their spirits uplifted.