Dr. Liladhar Manek
Area of Intervention: contribution in the field of cardiology and epilepsy.
The first-hand diagnosis of rheumatic and congenital heart diseases among children below the age of 16 years was done at remote places and children needing cardiac surgery were transferred to Bombay.
First-ever Eye Hospital at Bidada in kutch in 1981
- He started social service activities in the medical field in 1973 by organizing eye camps in rural areas of kutch. Soon the diagnostic and surgical facilities in other faculties like General surgery, Orthopedics, ENT, Gynecology, etc., were added to the medical camp. The entire cost of transportation, stay surgery, and medicine was borne by Trust.
- The diagnosis, E.E.G, and medicine for epileptic patients were also arranged at epileptic camps benefiting about 700 to 800 patients.
- He established another rural hospital in western kutch in the village Bhojay to cater to the needs of about 400 villages where there was a total void in medical facilities. He lived in Village Bhojay Kutch
- Concentrated to resolve the problems of reproductive organs among women. He trained around 250 rural midwives and involved them to create awareness about health and hygiene in villages.
- The gynecology camps at Bhojay (Six camps in a year) have relieved more than 4800 women of their gynecology problems by surgical intervention. He founded a state of art Eye Hospital at Bhojay where cataract surgeries are performed at a cost of $ 15 only.
- He played the lead role in relief and rehabilitation work after the massive earthquake in Kutch in 2001. He involved beneficiaries in the reconstruction of their houses by co-operative labor and self-help. The material for it was provided by his trust. This very principle was later universally accepted as ODR Owner Driven Reconstruction after any disaster. He also participated in rehabilitation work in Indonesia post Tsunami, Kashmir post-earthquake & Uttarakhand in India post floods.
- He has started a residential training school for mentally challenged rural boys and girls. Recently he has concentrated on welfare activities for nomadic tribes and other tribal groups. He has focused on issues of human rights, education, and livelihood of these backward communities. Liladhar Gada works for more than twelve hours a day even at the age of 82 years.
- Recently Bhojay Trust has started a Dialysis center. It is the first free center for rural patients.