Dr. Nandlal Manseta
Nominated for : Medical service to the poor.
Initiative - Starting an affordable clinic for the needy.
Nominated for : Medical service to the poor.
Initiative - Starting an affordable clinic for the needy.
At 64, Dr Nandlal Manseta might as well have stayed back home, played bridge, watched television or socialised. Given his experience and background, he could also have even taken to preaching children and youths, extolling the virtues of hard work and integrity.But the good doctor decided to be also a good human being. The financial woes of diamond workers following the slowdown in 2003 only acted as a catalyst. He decided to give up his 30-year-old job at municipal corporation-run Shardaben Hospital where he headed the Eyes, Nose and Throat Department and opened a clinic of his own to treat patients at a nominal fee.
There may be very few doctors like Manseta in our city. Unlike most consultants who have fixed fee, the ENT surgeon offers medical services at a rate directly proportional to the patient’s income. The less you earn, the less you pay. And the patients don’t have to produce income certificate to avail of his services. “I don’t ask them what their income is. They see the fee chart and pay as their conscience tells them. I am sure God guides us all,” says Manseta.
He has worked out a fee matrix which is one per cent of the patient’s monthly earning. A board has been put up in his clinic near the Nehru Bridge end of Ashram Road. Accordingly a person earning Rs 1,000 a month has to pay a fee of only Rs 10, while someone earning Rs 100,000 has to shell out Rs 1,000 for his services, which include consultancy and surgery.
Manseta’s story is that of struggle and success. After achieving the heights, he feels it’s time to pay back to society. His idea is clear: “Medical service is among the most important needs of a person, as it affects his/her survival. In these times of high inflation, medical service too has become very expensive. So, I want to help the lower, lower-middle and middle classes by offering them my expertise at a price they can easily afford.”
Manseta had a humble beginning. His father Kanjibhai ran a provision store at a village in Savarkundla. He wanted his four children to get into business even if it meant sacrificing study. But Nandlal very keen on pursuing medicine. “When I was young, my parents often discouraged me from studying. My mother, Diwaliben used to say, I would go mad if I studied so much,” says Manseta with a smile.
He worked hard in his 12th, but could not get into a medical college. He repeated class 12 and this time Lady Luck smiled at him. He got admission to a medical college in Jamnagar. He met Ilaben there and they married in 1977, the year they completed master’s.
Their son and daughter are married and settled abroad. Ilaben is a professor of gynaecology. “During the economic slowdown of 2003, I saw the problems of people, specially the diamond workers who live near Shardaben Hospital. I was inspired by the almighty to help the poor and needy. I had every thing in life. I wanted to pay back,” he says.
Says Kala Vora (49), whose son was operated upon recently, “The service provided by the doctors is unbelievable. This hospital is like a temple for the middle class and lower middle class people who cannot afford costly hospitals. I am glad that my son had been operated upon by him.”
There may be very few doctors like Manseta in our city. Unlike most consultants who have fixed fee, the ENT surgeon offers medical services at a rate directly proportional to the patient’s income. The less you earn, the less you pay. And the patients don’t have to produce income certificate to avail of his services. “I don’t ask them what their income is. They see the fee chart and pay as their conscience tells them. I am sure God guides us all,” says Manseta.
He has worked out a fee matrix which is one per cent of the patient’s monthly earning. A board has been put up in his clinic near the Nehru Bridge end of Ashram Road. Accordingly a person earning Rs 1,000 a month has to pay a fee of only Rs 10, while someone earning Rs 100,000 has to shell out Rs 1,000 for his services, which include consultancy and surgery.
Manseta’s story is that of struggle and success. After achieving the heights, he feels it’s time to pay back to society. His idea is clear: “Medical service is among the most important needs of a person, as it affects his/her survival. In these times of high inflation, medical service too has become very expensive. So, I want to help the lower, lower-middle and middle classes by offering them my expertise at a price they can easily afford.”
Manseta had a humble beginning. His father Kanjibhai ran a provision store at a village in Savarkundla. He wanted his four children to get into business even if it meant sacrificing study. But Nandlal very keen on pursuing medicine. “When I was young, my parents often discouraged me from studying. My mother, Diwaliben used to say, I would go mad if I studied so much,” says Manseta with a smile.
He worked hard in his 12th, but could not get into a medical college. He repeated class 12 and this time Lady Luck smiled at him. He got admission to a medical college in Jamnagar. He met Ilaben there and they married in 1977, the year they completed master’s.
Their son and daughter are married and settled abroad. Ilaben is a professor of gynaecology. “During the economic slowdown of 2003, I saw the problems of people, specially the diamond workers who live near Shardaben Hospital. I was inspired by the almighty to help the poor and needy. I had every thing in life. I wanted to pay back,” he says.
Says Kala Vora (49), whose son was operated upon recently, “The service provided by the doctors is unbelievable. This hospital is like a temple for the middle class and lower middle class people who cannot afford costly hospitals. I am glad that my son had been operated upon by him.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment