Health Fair Retains Its Vigor
At a time when the cost of medical care seems to be going through the roof, free and heavily subsidized consultancy and tests seem almost utopian. And over 300 people seemed to have found utopia ? well, only for a day ? at the 9th SAI Health Fair, organized by the Gandhi Foundation of USA, (GFUSA), Global Mall and the Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta (TAMA). The event was held at the Impact Conference Center in Global Mall on September 24. The annual event has been spearheaded by Macon-Atlanta physician, Dr. Sujatha Reddy. Each year, the event is organized as a tribute to the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, and also to mark his October 2nd birth anniversary. .
This year 34 physicians, representing 17 specialties, 12 nurses and six technicians attended to the registered visitors. The team performed blood tests, EKGs, bone density tests, glaucoma screenings, and diabetes and nutrition education. Abbott Laboratories provided participants a continental breakfast and Eli Lilly treated them to an Udipi lunch.
It was a smooth affair for the visitors - who began arriving at 6:45 a.m. - as they were able to register online. The hallway and the conference center had several EKG machines, provided by the Cardiovascular Group in Lawrenceville, and Southern Heart Specialists, Riverdale. Over 60 bone density tests were conducted by Cumming Family Medicine of Cumming while glaucoma screenings were taken care of by the Eye physicians and surgeons of Decatur. And for a nominal fee of $15, blood tests were carried out, the results of which were mailed within 48 hours. Around 165 blood tests were done during the event.
Subash Razdan, acting chairman, GFUSA, commended Dr. Reddy and the entire team of doctors, nurses and volunteers for handling the event well, especially the absence of long queues. Shiv Aggarwal, who owns Global Mall, felt proud about holding the health fair in the mall. Dr Sujatha Reddy thanked everyone who organized, participated and sponsored the event. She reiterated the importance of good health, saying, "Cure the patient today and protect the community tomorrow. Too often we hear of illness that could have been prevented if it had been detected earlier."
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- Mahadev Desai
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