Changemaker: Spreading health, one camp at a time

Now 72, and based in Sector 54, Gurugram, Dr Kiran Kukreja has taken her work far beyond the city. What began as small awareness sessions has grown into a wide outreach effort across Delhi-NCR

For nearly five decades, Dr Kiran Kukreja, a general physician and gynaecologist, has practised medicine with quiet consistency. But about 20 years ago, she felt that treating patients within clinic walls was not enough; that her work needed to travel beyond prescriptions and into people’s lives. That instinct led her to begin organising free medical camps, a commitment she has sustained ever since.

Dr Kiran Kukreja, a general physician and gynaecologist, at one of her camps. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Now 72, and based in Sector 54, Gurugram, Kukreja has taken her work far beyond the city. What began as small awareness sessions has grown into a wide outreach effort across Delhi-NCR and parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

The early days, she recalls, were less about treatment and more about conversation. She spoke to communities in slum clusters and underserved areas about hygiene, nutrition and the basics of staying well.

Over time, those conversations evolved into structured medical camps. With support from organisations such as the Indian Cancer Society and Roko Cancer, the camps began offering not just advice but also access to diagnostics, screenings and early intervention that many would otherwise go without.

“We conduct these camps regularly. While they may not be held daily, we try to organise them on a weekly basis, prioritising requests from communities across Delhi-NCR. The services are completely free,” she said.

At these camps, patients are not turned away for lack of means. X-rays, blood tests, mammography, and screenings for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and anaemia are made available free of cost.

Just as importantly, the camps double as spaces for awareness, especially around cancer, a subject Kukreja believes still carries fear and misinformation among people.

“There are many who lack awareness about even basic hygiene. It becomes my responsibility as a doctor to educate them and spread awareness,” she said.

That sense of responsibility shapes the way she approaches each camp. For Kukreja, the goal is not simply diagnosis or treatment, but understanding. She spends time explaining what a condition means, how it develops, and what small, practical steps can help prevent or manage it. Nutrition, early detection and everyday health practices are recurring themes in her interactions.

“My aim after every session is to ensure that people have understood what I have explained. For me, success lies in seeing them apply that knowledge in their daily lives,” she said.

In the course of her work, certain patterns have stood out. Malnutrition and anaemia, particularly among women, remain widespread, often compounded by a lack of basic awareness. “In such cases, even modest interventions such as a change of diet, attention to hygiene, and timely check-ups can have a major impact.Creating awareness about nutrition, hygiene and preventive care becomes extremely important, as small changes can make a significant difference to overall health,” Kukreja said.

Even as participation in these camps has grown over the years — a sign, she says, of rising awareness — Kukreja is clear-eyed about the work that remains. Access to healthcare and reliable information is still uneven, and bridging that gap requires persistence.

Through it all, her approach has remained steady; meet people where they are, speak in ways they understand, and leave them with something they can carry forward. Her work sits at the intersection of care and education, driven by a simple conviction that informed communities are better equipped to take charge of their health, and that even small steps in education can lead to lasting improvements in public health outcomes.