
Eye check-ups are one of the most requested services at every camp.
Overlander Associationof India
Beyond the trail · Initiative 01
Free health check-ups where the nearest clinic is a day's drive away — run by our own member-volunteer doctors and nurses.
Why it matters
Many of the villages along our high-altitude and remote routes are a full day's travel from the nearest functioning clinic. On select expeditions, member-volunteer doctors and nurses set up free health check-up camps directly along the route — basic diagnostics, medicine distribution, and referrals for anything more serious than a camp can handle.
Camps are announced to the local Panchayat well in advance, so as many residents as possible — not just whoever happens to be around when the convoy rolls in — can plan to attend.
How a camp comes together
Chapter coordinators flag villages along an upcoming expedition that sit far from formal healthcare.
Member doctors, nurses and paramedics volunteer their time and bring basic diagnostic kit for the trip.
Local coordinators notify the village panchayat in advance so residents know when and where to come.
Basic diagnostics, free medicine and referrals for anything that needs a proper hospital visit.
From the field

Eye check-ups are one of the most requested services at every camp.

No patient turned away — from school children to elderly residents.

Recording each patient's diagnosis and next steps for follow-up.
I'm a gynecologist, knowing basic first response made more difference in one afternoon than a year of my regular practice.
— Dr. Rajendra Dhande, OAI President and founding camp volunteer
We're always looking for medical volunteers ahead of high-altitude and remote-route expeditions — no obligation beyond the trip you sign up for.