Inaugurated on Wednesday, (January 2 is the fixed date), the 34th camp will be operational till January 25, and provide the poor with the best of healthcare attention, all for free.

The camp thrives on free services of volunteers, both medical and non-medical from the US and Mumbai. This time, 39 doctors along with a large contingent of volunteers and four present and past presidents of US and Canada based JAINA (Jain Association of Northern America) and KOJAINA (Kutchi Oswal Jain Association of Northern America), organisations have come here.

JAINA and KOJAINA are among the most wealthy and powerful organisations in the US and Canada. The two are recognised by the US government for its global humanitarian work. The US Consul General in Mumbai has been participating in the camp for the past 18 years. This year, it will be the third visit by Consul General Michael Owen, who will come on Monday.

“With main funds coming from the Indian community living in the US, along with the volunteers, this is truly a sort of Indo-American partnership in healthcare. We now organise such camps in America also with the experience gained at Bidada,” said Vijay Chheda, South California-based trustee of BST. He has devoted himself to this work and he spends six months in the US and six months in Bidada for organising the camp.

Chheda, who took over as new president of KOJAINA this month, said the annual camp has served three million patients in the past 33 years and this year they hope to treat 30,000 patients in 25 medical specialties.

Dr. Dhiraj Shah, former president of JAINA, said their services here were in fact repayment of their debt to the country. “We could study in the US with India’s tax-payers’ money. Now that we are well settled, we must pay back our debt, if not the principal amount, at least its interest,” he said.

Hailing the initiative, Mumbai-based Kutchi businessman Dr. Shanti Mecony said it has been attracting top diplomats every year for the past 18 years.