The Gotti Koya community living in Mulugu and Jayashankar-Bhupalpally districts of Telangana was living in vulnerable conditions with no proper roads, and no proper health, nutrition and education facilities. But, that was before Dr. Sangram Singh G Patil joined as SP in the Mulugu district. Soon after joining, he took matters into his hands and started providing good healthcare facilities to the tribal community, thereby proving how an officer can turnaround a bad situation if he really wants to and if he is truly dedicated to social welfare.
During a conversation with Indian Masterminds, Dr. Patil, who is currently also in charge of Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district, talked about the initiatives he took to bring about this turnaround and what motivated him to move in that direction in the first place.
A QUALIFIED DOCTOR
Coming from a humble background, Dr. Patil was always passionate about healthcare. So, he went for MBBS and completed his degree from Maharashtra in 2011. Later, he practiced in Delhi for a few years. Since, he always wanted to contribute to society’s upliftment, he decided to take the Civil Services exam, and got into IPS in 2015.
MEDICAL CAMPS
Dr. Patil was posted in Mulugu towards the end of 2019. Since then,
he has helped over 5000 members of the Gotti Koya tribal community to gain better access to healthcare. With his efforts to provide better health facility to the community, he has addressed various issues like nutrition deficiency, low haemoglobin, skin issues, and other problems. When asked what motivated him, he said that he was moved by the living conditions of the tribal people in the scheduled areas. “Those areas didn’t have proper road connectivity and people had to travel a lot to get medical care,” said Dr. Patil.
He discussed with his colleagues and decided to set up medical camps in all those areas. Around 20 doctors from the Indian Medical Association, Warangal, and health officers from the government district hospital and health centres joined hands with him to reach out to the tribal community.
“We used to attend and provide them free medicines if the diseases are not critical. If the case was found to be serious, the team shifted the patient to a nearby hospital, or, in some cases, referred him or her to a super speciality hospital in Hyderabad,” Dr Patil said.
EXAMINED PATIENTS HIMSELF
The officer himself examined nearly 650 Gotti Koya community people in a mega health camp organised in the area. He mainly attended to the children who suffered from skin disorders and women who had developed pregnancy-related issues, and others suffering from anaemia, malnutrition, etc. But, it was not so easy to get them to trust him in the beginning.
“The locals were sceptical at first. It was difficult for them to trust a police officer. However, slowly after observing our work and intention, their approach changed. I have gained both love and respect from them,” Dr Patil said.
Over time, his efforts have helped reach medical help worth Rs 7 lakh to the tribal community. His initiative has also helped bridge the gap between the community and the police. Today, they share a close bond with the department and implicitly trust the people in khakhi. And, the credit goes to Dr Patil, who took a gentle step towards them and brought them out of their self-imposed isolation and encouraged them to assimilate with the world outside.
