[Monday Motivation] Meet Dr Sunil Kumar Hebbi, the messiah of healthcare in Bengaluru

For over a decade now, Dr Sunil Kumar Hebbi, a resident of Malleswaram in Bengaluru, has been running a mobile clinic through an NGO called Matru Siri Foundation to treat the poor for free.

A graduate from the Bijapur Medical College, the 37-year-old doctor was born and raised in Vijayapura, and worked at the BGS Hospital in Bengaluru for several years before quitting in 2011 to devote his attention to the mobile clinic.

“Having been born in a small village, I know the pain of not having access to healthcare. My parents, who are farmers, and the villagers had to travel close to 50 kilometers to reach a primary health centre. This prompted me to start a mobile clinic,” Dr Sunil tells SocialStory.

Dr Sunil has converted his car into a mobile clinic and stacked up emergency medicines and equipment such as an oxygen cylinder and an ECG machine. He also has an assistant doctor and a nurse who volunteer with him

At present, he runs the mobile service both in Bengaluru and in his hometown, Vijayapura, and treats about 80-100 patients every day.

Anyone can find the doctor driving his car-turned-clinic across the city treating Covid-19 patients who share their health issues on WhatsApp.

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Road to inspiration

While lack of basic healthcare needs was one of the factors to start a mobile clinic, the main reason to start this initiative dates back to 2010, when Dr Sunil came upon an accident scene while driving on Hosur Road in Bengaluru.

“The injured person was lying on the road without any medical attention. I was travelling with a first aid kit and stopped and provided the victim with the necessary care,” recalls Sunil.

The entire incident moved him. On delegating the core of the problem, he felt people should be entitled to healthcare amenities as a fundamental human right.

He thus founded NGO ‘Matru Siri Foundation’ to provide healthcare services to the needy. Further, he converted his car into a mobile doctor clinic.

Today, his organisation delivers free healthcare facilities to the homeless, old-age homes, and construction workers, among others.

Selfless duty

During the day, Dr Sunil treats patients through his mobile clinic. And since the first week of April 2021, he has been working in the night shift at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Covid Care Centre (CCC) in Goripalya, Bengaluru, where he charges only the basic amount to the patients.

He manages to catch some sleep between 1-3 pm, and between midnight and early morning after finishing rounds at the CCC.

During the outburst of the second wave of coronavirus pandemic, Sunil invested all his savings to buy medicines and other necessary equipment, and now he is financially crunching and is running his business using the donations.

"I always carry medicines, a glucometer, oxygen tank, BP monitor, and ECG machine, among other essential equipment, in my car at all times,” he says.

Till now, Dr Sunil has organised 785 free medical camps across Karnataka and has cured and helped 90,000 patients.

After his night duty, he takes a two-hour rest before beginning his mobile car clinic service at 10 am. His priority groups are senior citizens, those having mild Covid-19 symptoms and who cannot venture out of their homes and are staying alone.

"I work the night shift at the BBMP Covid clinic from 8 pm to 8 am. I rest for two hours and then again start at 10 am. I have treated more than 200 patients in the last 20 days,” Sunil adds.

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Healthy future

Matru Siri Foundation has drawn praises from different corners of the country. Many people who are genuinely interested in helping him have joined the NGO as volunteers. Today, there are over 120 medical volunteers and 350+ non-medical volunteers.

Matru Siri Foundation has been recognised by Shri Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, as well as Siddaramaiah, former Chief Minister of Karnataka. Besides this, the NGO has won multiple awards and accolades for setting a benchmark with its efforts that has been reflected through over 700 multi-speciality health check-up camps.

Dr Sunil has devoted his life for the betterment of the underprivileged people, and he harbours a dream where ‘Right to Health’ is given a constitutional approval as a fundamental human right in India.

“The healthcare sector is in a bad condition, and I am trying to help as many people as I can”, Sunil says.

To further realise his goals, he plans to start a multispecialty hospital in his hometown in the coming years.