80-year-old Nani Gopal Das has been visiting our Belghoria Mobile Healthcare Unit (MHU) in North Kolkata for over 20 years. He suffers from hypertension and osteoarthritis. He lives with his wife who has become almost completely blind due to diabetic retinopathy. Their only son does not look after them or even keep in touch with them. Earlier, when his wife’s vision was better, she would visit the MHU along with her husband but is now completely homebound. 

Nani is a devoted husband and has unhesitatingly taken on the role of being his wife’s sole caregiver. Over the years, his greatest fear has been that if he ever fell sick, there would no one to look after his wife, which is why he is so grateful that all his primary healthcare needs have always been met by HelpAge India’s MHU. Not only has the regular health support and awareness he receives enabled him to effectively tackle his own health issues but the regular treatment received by his wife has also helped stabilise her condition. In fact, now that his wife is homebound, the MHU has also been making home visits to her from time to time for a physical check-up. 

For Nani and his wife, the MHU has been a lifeline the support system that they so desperately needed.