Cardiac care by Belgaum Rotaractors

Over 200 people from BPL families benefitted from Project Cardiocare, a heart health camp organised in Belgaum, Karnataka, by RAC Belgaum South, RID 3170.

This is the second consecutive year the club is holding such a camp in the city. “We began this project in memory of Abhishek Pujari, a social worker who died, very young, of heart attack. He was active, particularly during the Covid pandemic when he single-handedly cremated 50 dead bodies for which there was no claim from any family,” said Monika Asundi, past district secretary and a member of the club. The camp was conducted with the support of Vijaya Hospital in the city. Besides general medical checkup, patients with high-risk symptoms of heart disease underwent ECG and Echocardiogram tests at the camp. CPR training was also included as part of the camp. People were taught to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a first aid procedure when they encounter someone suffering a cardiac arrest.

“Normally this health checkup package costs ₹1,200–2,000, it is not affordable for low-income families, and they often neglect any heart ailment symptoms, resulting in loss of life. We have decided to adopt Project Cardiocare as a flagship project for the coming years, and plan at least four camps every year,” she said.

Another signature project of the club is Utsava where every member contributes anywhere between ₹2,000 to ₹30,000 on their special occasions such as birthday or wedding anniversary. “We spend such funds at the end of the year on an impactful community service project. Last year (2024–25) we equipped a local school with an interactive smart board and set up a computer lab with three computers.”

The club has adopted this school as part of a district programme — One Club, One School, One Purpose — and has conducted a sports fest and a dental checkup camp for students. “We visit the school on weekends and conduct classes in English and computer basics for the students,” said Monika.

Although the club was chartered 33 years ago, “it has become active in the last five years and the membership has improved from seven to 107 now.”