The doctor fraternity was asked to emulate M. Rama Rao’s ideals, who was popularly known as one rupee doctor, to provide better medical care to all in the society.
The CPI (M) organised a meeting to pay tributes to Rao, who passed away recently. Recalling his association with the doctor since his student days, CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu said that he learnt simplicity and living down to earth from Rama Rao.
He always stressed on quality education and health for a better society and development of the nation. “In fact, he spent all his life in providing medical care to everyone who knocked his door. His services during tidal wave that shook the district in 1970s were indeed laudable,” he said.
Mr. Raghavulu said that the doctors of such dedication and ideology were fast vanishing. It was need of the hour to emulate Rao as the corporate healthcare was ruling the roost and government was shying away from health and education sectors, he said. Indian Medical Association (IMA) former president G. Samaram said that the medical profession has become a business in the recent past. The evidence based treatment has escalated the medical care costs phenomenally. The doctors tend to have an eye on recovery of investments they made. One might have bought a seat in medical college, but it doesn’t empower him or her to fleece the people. The young doctors should follow footprints of the one rupee doctor, he said.
CPI (M) central committee member P. Madhu said his party would look into the possibility of setting up a Foundation in the name of Dr. Rao to take forward his message by way of organising memorial lecturers etc.
CPI (M) central committee member Paturi Ramaiah, district secretary R. Raghu, city secretary Ch. Babu Rao, Lions Club former president Devineni Kishore, TDP leader Gadde Rammohan Rao, CPI (ML) leader Kotaiah, Dr. Rao family members — Manikyamba (wife), Dr. Kiran (son), Dr. Deepika (daughter), Dr. Madhuri (daughter-in-law), Dr. Rajagopala Rao (son-in-law) — and others were present.
