Dr Noori Parveen has become a household name for thousands of families in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh by making medical care accessible to people who cannot afford expensive consultation charges at corporate hospitals. She carved a name for herself by offering medical check-ups to the poor for a minimal consultation fee of ₹10.
“They can hardly afford ₹250 or ₹350 as a consultation fee, and I thought I should reach out. It was then that I decided to charge a flat consultation fee of ₹10 from every patient,” Dr Parveen told The Hindu, referring to families hailing from lower-income and socio-economic groups bringing their sick ones to her clinic in Kadapa city.
In a special interview on the eve of International Women’s Day, she explained that her childhood ambition was not only to become a doctor, but also following in the footsteps of her grandfather Noor Mohammad, a grassroots leader in the 1980s, and her father Mohammad Maqbool, a businessman with a charitable bent of mind.
Dr Parveen recently launched a women’s health facility where gynaecology services are also offered for ₹10. “Most people with medical complications do not know whom to contact. I refer them to the concerned specialists in neurology, orthopaedics or gynaecology”, Dr Noori explained.
Though her gesture has brought laurels, she struggles to make ends meet. “Unlike my peers in the medical field, I still ask my father for money to meet my needs, and have no qualms in depending on my spouse after marriage. I am here to serve society, not to make money,” she said.
Her social welfare activities started while at college when she and her classmates reached out to the local orphanage and old age homes, which continued even after she started her medical practice and launched the Dr Noori’s Health Care initiative. She soon became known among patients as the “₹10 doctor”.
Dr Parveen studied up to Class IV in Challapalli of Krishna district and then moved to Vijayawada for pursuing high school in the Urdu medium. Upon getting a medical seat under the minority quota, she joined the MBBS course at the Fatima Institute of Medical Sciences (FIMS), Kadapa.
