Sir Salimullah Medical Collge and Mitford Hospital is one of the most historic medical colleges in Bangladesh. Most of the patients who get admitted in this hospital everyday are very poor. There are such patients who cannot afford medicine that cost 50-60 taka and abscond from the hospital. Some of them even die being deprived from essential medicare.

In our country, there are tragic stories of thousands of families who are mostly poor trying to get medicare for their ailments, while dealing with all their other distresses in life. Sometimes they are forced to sell their own dwelling places to meet the treatment charges. But the situation could be different if someone helped these patients who just need very low cost medicine. Realising the fact Dr Mozaffor, Dr Bipul, Dr Tarif, Dr Tariq, Dr Munir, Dr Abdullah and Istiak of Sir Salimullah Medical College established a charity organisation HELP - Hospital-based Essential Life-saving Programme. They started it during their student life.

Aims and objectivesThe basic objective of HELP is to motivate medical students from the early stage of their medical life to help the unfortunate. At present the students are raising funds by contributing small amounts. But when a patient is helped by this fund all of them share the fulfilment of doing something for the cause of humanity. In future it may lead a doctor to prescribe poor patients without taking fees who is now a HELP volunteer.

The volunteers of HELP are students of Sir Salimullah Medical College of different batches. They are continuing this along with their studies. HELP is working now with students, though in the future qualified doctors may be included. Then the organisation will be stronger in raising funds quickly and more help will be possible.

Seven students established the organisation in 1998, and the initial membership was 31. Now the number of members is 467.

Work strategy of HELPHELP works mainly in three ways

Motivating students to help and support poor patients Collection of monthly subscription from the students; and Helping the poor patients at the hospital.

There is a regular monthly meeting with students of each batch of the college to exchange views. They are motivated to help the poor patients. A report of their contribution of previous month is placed there.

A number of students of every batch contribute every month and HELP volunteers collect it by giving money receipts. On an average 300 to 400 students regularly donate to the fund and build an amount of 7000 8000 taka every month. Up to now wretched patients have received more than one lac taka from HELP.

HELP volunteers are always at the service of needy patients. The address, room numbers and contact numbers are given to the different units of all departments of the Mitford Hospital. When an internee doctor things that a patients is really very needy he / she informs a HELP volunteer or make a communication between the patient and a HELP volunteer. HELP volunteers go on inspection and buy medicine for the patient. They never give cash money to the patients. Moreover HELP volunteers collect information from the units of the hospital. As a result HELP is the effective organisation which gives the help to the patients in direct contact very successfully. HELP volunteers hope that it will be more dynamic if doctor society is included with it.

Patients viewMr Tara Miah, a patient helped by HELP was contacted. He expressed his deep gratitude to HELP. He said that he got admitted to Mitford Hospital with a critical condition and he was going to loose his life for the medicine that would cost only 200 taka. HELP workers gave him the medicine and the patient ultimately got well.

ObstaclesThere are many obstacles maintaining the programme. Medicine that cost over one lac taka are distributed among the poor patients since foundation of the organization. But the fund is very limited. It is the main obstacle of the foundation, informed Dr Abdullah. He also informed that usually the fund (which is of 7000 8000 taka per month) ends at 20 of every month and HELP is quite unable to help patients. Patients returns hopelessly and HELP workers are really undone. HELP workers urge the doctors to be included in their programme. It can speed up the activities of HELP.

Future plan of HELPThe initial target was to promote the helping attitude among all students. The founders are successful in their duty. In Sir Salimullah Medical College about 70% students are member of HELP who regularly contribute to the fund. HELP workers plan to expand it among the doctors of the hospital within some days and they got enough feedback.

HELP is now limited only in Sir Salimullah Medical College. HELP workers dream to expand it among the other medical and dental colleges of Bangladesh and establish HELP centers following the footstep of HELP of Sir Salimullah Medical College.