Doctors performing a procedure on a patient at Unicorpus Word and Deed Hospital in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A health camp organised by Unicorpus Health Foundation for the needy patients.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Close to a decade ago, a group of nine doctors, mostly alumni from the prestigious Christian Medical College (CMC-Vellore) in Tamil Nadu, joined hands for what they called “giving back to society in the form of affordable and ethical evidence-based health care to the needy”.
Brainchild of Samson Sujit Kumar, a neurosurgeon and an alumnus of CMC-Vellore, Unicorpus Health Foundation (UHF) has managed to win the hearts of the poor and rural residents with the concept of affordable healthcare. The motto ‘Unicorpus’, in literal terms, means “to come together as one body”, and rightly so as not only healthcare professionals but also people with diverse gifts have joined hands to alleviate the suffering of the sick.
Kavitha David, chief operating officer of the UHF, said the organisation was established in 2015 to provide affordable, ethical, evidence-based, compassionate and holistic health services to urban and rural population through consultations (medical and dental), physiotherapy, home care, palliative care and in-patient services.
She said that when they started working, they found a massive requirement for medical services among senior citizens. “This prompted us to start the Unicorpus Senior Citizen Polyclinic in 2016. The response from the senior citizens was overwhelming and led to demands from families to extend the services to other groups also,” she remarked.
“What started with nine professionals has 50 dedicated doctors today, extending treatment to the needy in consultation, physiotherapy, counselling, clinical home care and palliative care,” recalled Shilpi, paedodonist and a founder-member of the UHF.
Dr. Shilpi said that in 2019, the UHF started a polyclinic on the YMCA premises, which was really helpful to the needy in Secunderabad area. The big break, however, came in 2020 when the UHF entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Word and Deed Hospital at Hayathnagar to take over the existing hospital. “It’s a 30-bed hospital with two operation theatres and equipped with a C-Arm, labour room, outpatient block, X-ray facility and a basic diagnostic lab. On the same premises, we have a rehabilitation Centre started in 2022,” she said.
Fight against COVID-19
Ms. Kavitha said during COVID-19, the team of doctors converted the guest house on YMCA premises into an isolation centre and treated the patients at affordable rates compared to other healthcare institutions.
Since its inception, the polyclinics have treated 28,000 patients, while the Unicorpus Word and Deed Hospital has handled 2,700 outpatients, 800 inpatients and 360 surgeries at the small facility. The UHF’s dental clinic and ophthalmology facility on the same premises is also doing well, the organisers said. The surgery charges are less than half of what is charged by corporate or mid-level hospitals.
Buoyed by the success, the UHF is now planning to establish a 50-bed affordable health facility in the heart of Hyderabad. “Our USP will be affordable surgical services in speciality and super-speciality areas. “We are in talks with a few facilities in Secunderabad and will finalise the place shortly. Once operational, the new centre will be a boon for those who cannot afford costly treatment in specialised hospitals,” said Dr. Shilpa, adding that more doctors were now coming forward to extend their services during their free time. She hoped that the new facility would be a good ethical centre with affordable ICU charges.
Published – March 01, 2025 08:38 am IST