When the lockdown was announced on March 23, 2020, everyone pulled down the shutters and shut shops. Dr Noori Parveen followed too and closed her private clinic, Dr Noori's Health Care, in Kadapa. But within two to three days, she knew something was amiss. "I couldn't help but ask myself, 'Who would help the needy now?'," says the 28-year-old. Before you think video calls, let us remind you that not all are as privileged. By then, the initiative she started on February 7, 2020, of offering consultation at `10 and bed charge at `50 per day, was already doing so much good and she had an inkling of how much. How? On average, over 100 people dropped by her clinic for consultation. So after two to three days of lockdown, she opened her gates wide again. And this time, they remained so 24x7. Yesterday, this initiative celebrated its first year anniversary and we feel that it's going to celebrate many more such momentous occasions.
Brattish back-bencher in her first year of MBBS at Fathima Institute Of Medical Sciences (FIMS), Dr Noori was a self-confessed bindaas character who enjoyed being naughty. But she was reminded of her grandfather and father, the former who tried to bring about a change by entering politics with his communist ideals and the latter who tried to serve the society by working for the needy. Soon, she started FIMS Student Organisation and visited old age homes and orphanages to distribute books. All it took was working at a corporate hospital to see for herself the ugly side of private healthcare. That's why after completing her MBBS, she started her own practice.
"Maybe it was because we were doing good work, but neither my staffers nor I caught COVID," says the Vijayawada-born, taking us back to the lockdown time. Surprisingly, she would even see Ortho, Neuro and Cardiac patients with the help of expert doctors who she would consult with over the phone. "There was a Neuro case I treated once, when he came to me, he needed the support of his children to walk. After exactly one month, he returned walking on his own two feet. He asked me if I remembered him and thanked me profusely. Handling that case really made me very happy," says the happy-go-lucky doctor. The clinic has an OP room that turns into her bed at night. It also has a lab, three patient beds and a pharmacy. We ask her if it's possible to run the place on the meager fees and she says, "The commission I get from the medicines help, plus my parents extend their support whenever I need it."
We hear that Dr Noori has already earned the title of 'Mother Teresa of Kadapa' but she promises us that she is still that "bindaas character" from her first year of college. "My vision is to turn my clinic into a multispeciality one so that I don't need to turn anyone away or refer them to someone else," she says with her voice full of hope.
Her other initiatives:
- Inspiring Healthy Young India: She motivates the young to stay fit and healthy
- Noor Charitable Trust: Under this trust, she donates bedsheets, books and more to the needy
- Documentary work: She also acts and directs documentaries on the dowry system, suicide and more
For more on her, check out facebook.com/Dr-Noori-Pari-100629088195337
