Capt. Ramarao Junction (standard:non fiction, 969 words)
Author: Juggernaut	Added: Nov 12 2010	Views/Reads: 2880/1935	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story of Doctor who practiced social medicine

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whenever I visited shops with him. If my mother asked to buy one item 
of any kind, he bought not one, not two, not three but four of the same 
item whether it was tooth brush, a tea set or a dinner set. Over the 
period of several years, he accumulated so much stuff; a large part of 
the house became storage area than living area. With five children and 
petting zoo in the backyard with uncontrollable appetite for buying 
stuff, the later part of his life became a financial disaster. The way 
he practiced medicine “social medicine” as we call it today, couldn't 
support his enormous appetite for shopping. Dr. Ramarao believed that 
treatment with placebo cures most of the symptoms, thus he used soda 
bicarb (sodium bicarbonate or baking soda) on many of his patients. 
With increased competition from physicians with advanced training in 
medicine, Ramarao's medical practice was declined to a point where he 
could hardly support his shopping spree anymore. 

Ramarao's close relatives and scores of extended family members were the
most benefited from free medical care including free prescription 
samples for over three decades. When Ramarao fell on hard times 
financially, he borrowed money with exorbitant interest rates from the 
same relatives, beneficiaries of Ramarao's generous free medical care 
and directly received financial help from Ramarao's military service 
income in the past. No good deeds would go unpunished. 

The people of Allipuram in memory of their beloved doctor who treated
them for nothing or in exchange for a bag of onions or a pair of 
parrots or a turtle renamed Allipuram junction as Capt. Ramarao 
junction after his death. It is ironic that the people of Allipuram 
were more grateful to Ramarao than his own blood relatives. 


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