Doctor for beggars - Service to Mankind is Service to God
Power of People - Power Of Kindness
Dr. Abhijit Sonawane and his wife, Dr. Manisha Sonawane, are collaborating to provide medicine to Pune, India’s most underprivileged population. These medical professionals for beggars treat patients who cannot afford medical care through their nonprofit, Soham Trust. According to Dr. Abhijit, “We offer all the basic medical care and examinations to the elderly beggars on [the] road itself, who are begging just to survive in this world and are abandoned by their families.”
Every morning, Dr. Abhijit travels to different places like mosques, churches, and temples where the majority of elderly homeless people congregate to ask for money. He does check-ups, distributes free medication to individuals in need, and travels with two bags of medication. He explains, “To achieve this goal, we visit Mandir, Mosque, and Church daily between 10:00 and 4:00 pm and interact with beggars, provide medical check-ups, and provide all other related medical services.
Dr. Abhijit not only offers the homeless elders medical and emotional care, but also counseling so they can launch their own enterprises. “We establish a connection with them as a family member. As soon as we establish a connection with them, we begin counseling and persuading them to stop begging, says Dr. Abhijit, who also adds, “We are proud to say that since April 2017, we have supported 49 elder beggars to leave the begging trade.” One hundred and ten percent of the 1100 homeless people enrolled with Dr. Abhijit are receiving medical care. However, providing healthcare is not our main goal; rather, we want to connect with people on a deeper level by taking this route.
He also claims that they want to empower these people to support themselves. Dr. Abhijit and his wife have performed 160 cataract procedures in total. Dr. Abhijit transfers them to a public or private hospital when they need medical attention that can’t be supplied on the road.
Dr. Manisha Sonawane is essential to the organization’s functioning. While Dr. Abhijit devotes his everyday activities to helping those who are not financially independent, the majority of their income comes from his wife’s clinic, which she runs. “People inquire about our survival. The explanation is that my wife manages a little clinic that we have.
Sonawane said, “These elderly people are generally the ones who have been abandoned by their families and have no option but to beg. I not only do their check up but also give them free medicines which I carry with me. I do this from 10 am to 3 pm from Monday to Saturday.”
For these needy people, Sonawane is now like a family member, who has been helping them for almost two years now. He also has a trust named ‘Soham Trust’ which helps in executing this initiative.
“This is my way of giving back to the society. While treating these people I build a rapport with them and then try to convince them to quit begging and do some kind of work. I also assure them of my support in all forms,” said Sonawane.
Calling himself ‘Doctor for beggars’, Sonawane has set an example for others to emulate.