Medical Camps 2025: serving with care

For another consecutive year, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) continued its medical camp initiative that began in 2012. Our medical camps continue to provide much needed medical care for beneficiaries in underprivileged communities, people affected by floods, and attendees at special events held at VMRK centers. VMRK conducted more than 1,530 camps throughout 2025; an increase from 1,400 camps in 2024. As reported in previous years, the annual total is additional to the medical services organized during various yatras (pilgrimages).

Weekly medical camps

In 2025, VMRK organized its weekly medical camps across the states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra, as well as the Union Territory of Chandigarh. In 2024, the VMRK weekly medical camps were mostly held at our centers to serve the surrounding communities. We also held camps at locations far from primary healthcare centers to reach underprivileged populations. This year, the focus was intentionally switched to reach as many underprivileged individuals as possible. Therefore, the majority of camps were held in slum areas, villages, and brick kilns in the nearby regions to VMRK centers. Volunteers surveyed locations up to 85 kilometers away from VMRK centers. Villagers and slum dwellers requested additional locations after they had benefited from, or heard about VMRK services in prior years.

Before each camp, volunteers spread information about upcoming camps via door-to-door visits, announcements at local institutions, and communicating with the local administration. At some locations, they even used vehicles equipped with loudspeakers to drive around the area to announce the details of the medical camps.

Reaching many remote locations was challenging, as many sites, especially in hilly areas, were accessible only via unpaved roads. When the paths became too narrow for vehicles, the volunteers completed the journey on foot, carrying the camp materials on their backs. Upon reaching the location, volunteers first arranged the setup for the camp, which typically became operational by mid-morning. The majority of people visited the camp with symptoms of joint pain, anemia, acidity, cold, cough, fever, fungal infections, and blood pressure irregularities. The medical team offered free consultations, medicines, and first aid to everyone.

The medical camps were often run until early evening and many kept going so long as patients arrived. When it rained unexpectedly, volunteers improvised by using umbrellas and tarpaulins so that the camp could continue. After each camp finished, volunteers thoroughly cleaned the area, leaving it as it was before.

Medical camps in flood-affected areas

This year, torrential monsoon rain unleashed widespread damage as swollen rivers submerged thousands of villages and agricultural fields in Punjab. Knowing that healthcare is a critical response to flooding, VMRK conducted free medical camps in some of the most affected areas from September 2 to November 19. These camps offered medical care to over 34,570 individuals. Read more in our blog post Punjab Monsoon 2025: from crisis to care.

Medical camps at special events

It is customary for VMRK to organize 24-hour medical camps at its center alongside its large-scale events. In addition, healthcare services are offered at medical camps in nearby villages and surrounding slum areas. The blog posts below provide further details on these initiatives.

Charitable services at 2025 Autumn (Ashvin) Navratri
Charitable services at Guru Purnima 2025
Charitable services at 2025 Spring (Chaitra) Navratri
Charitable services at Spiritual Discourse March 2025, Nawan Nagar, Haryana
Charitable services at Spiritual Discourse March 2025, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Charitable services at Spiritual Discourse February 2025, Pimpalner, Maharashtra

Medical services during pilgrimages

Devotees undertaking various pilgrimages often face numerous challenges. These include arduous high-altitude mountainous terrain, extreme temperatures, heavy rain, and long multi-day journeys that are often undertaken on foot. To assist devotees on these pilgrimages, VMRK organized medical camps.

Each camp was staffed by a team of qualified doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and VMRK volunteers. The camps usually operated around the clock, offering free medical consultations, first aid, and medicines, with some camps also providing foot massage services. Most camps also had multi-bed clinical treatment centers to provide in-house medical care. These camps were equipped with medical equipment such as oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, multipara monitors, ECG machines, and nebulizers. Some VMRK camps also offered ambulance services for emergency care and transportation. Here are summaries of the pilgrimage medical services offered by VMRK in 2025.