COVID-19 pandemic has forced most senior citizens to stay inside their homes
as they are more vulnerable to the infection.
But 87-year-old Dr. Ramchandra Danekar in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra
has been going out of his way to provide healthcare to the poor families in the nearby villages.
Dr. Ramchandra is an experienced practioner of Homeopathy and Ayurveda.
He travels about 15 kilometres on his bicycle every day to visit his patients
and helps the villagers with free doorstep treatment.
While talking to NDTV Dr. Danekar said that he visits patients in villages of Mul,
Pombhurna and Ballarshah talukas of Chandrapur district for the last 60 years.
He said, “For the last 60 years, I have worked to help the poor.
When the pandemic started, my relatives and friends told me to stop going to villages and stay at home due to my age.
But how could I? A patient's health comes first. It is my duty as a doctor to treat them.
So, I continued visiting the villages. I will keep serving people till my limbs are working."
If there comes a point when I am sick and unable to walk, then I will stop. But till then I will continue working.
He added that in his prime he used to cover 4-5 villages in a day
and would even stay out for a day but due to growing age he now returns to his house at night.
Dr. Danekar wakes up at 5 AM and starts his day with Yoga
and by 7 AM he leaves his house for visiting villages. This is his daily routine.
He is the only doctor who has been visiting the village regularly even during the pandemic.
He reaches at any time on a single call and has never said ‘no’ to any patient.
Dr. Danekar gave up wearing footwear about 50 years ago and travels barefoot.
He inspires people to learn to live with the minimum essential items.
He said, “With less things, you will have less things to worry about. This will help in mental & physical health."
On how to stay fit and healthy during the ongoing pandemic, Dr. Danekar said,
the younger generation should stop fearing the virus
and must learn to fight it smartly by following the recommended safety measures.
He prescribed spending more time doing physical activities instead of sitting at one place for long hours.
He also emphasized on eating healthy and meditating for a stronger mind and body.