PCAAC

History

Dr. PK has been developing the concept of a PCAAC for several decades. The main hurdle was the lack of basic infrastructure and qualified specialists in the field of allergy and asthma. This challenge has been addressed successfully over the past 15 years through training programmes and postgraduate diploma courses at Christian Medical College, Vellore, and more recently at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Research Centre, Delhi.

Despite these advancements, Dr. PK observed a scarcity of adequate care among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in several parts of India and beyond. Accordingly, the PCAAC model was put into practice for the first time in 2017, under the leadership of Dr. Savitha Ramaraj, Professor of Paediatrics at Mysore Medical College and Research Centre (MMCRI), Mysore — the alma mater of Dr. PK and several of his family members, including his father.

Following the success and popularity of the PCAAC at MMCRI, a second clinic was inaugurated in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, under the leadership of Dr. Dan Purushotam. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significant disruptions to livelihoods, healthcare infrastructure, and economies across the globe, India being no exception.

In response to this shift in the healthcare landscape, particularly in India, Dr. PK resolved to expand the PRAANA concept. He reached out to approximately fifty alumni of various AAI training programmes in India. The response was overwhelming, and within a short time, approximately 30 physicians across India, Nepal, and as far afield as Barbados in the Caribbean took up the cause of establishing a PRAANA clinic within their local medical practices.

Thus, the PCAAC movement, born in 2017, has matured considerably over the years and has now flourished across India and beyond.

Special message from a senior retired USA trained physician settled in Mysuru, India

Ruby Allergy, Asthma & Chest-TB Clinic and the PRAANA Initiative

The Ruby Allergy, Asthma & Chest-TB Clinic in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, under Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, participates in the PRAANA charitable network. The PRAANA records specifically document Dr. Zaheer Ahmed conducting monthly Allergy and Asthma camps at the Ruby Clinic, traditionally on the third Sunday of every month. For example, a September 2023 camp served 79 patients, and the PRAANA site records more recent Aurangabad camps in July and August 2026 serving 50 and 56 patients respectively.

What PRAANA and the acronyms mean

PRAANA comes from the Sanskrit prāṇa, meaning the vital breath or life force; the organization describes it as “Breathe for Life.”

PCAAC stands for PRAANA Charitable Allergy Asthma Clinics. The notice's wording, “PRAANA Charitable Allergy & Asthma Treatment Centre (PCAATC), USA,” appears to be a local variation of the name; the central organization currently uses PCAAC.

IAS stands for International Asthma Services, a charitable organization registered in Colorado, USA.

AAI means Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

DAA means Diploma in Allergy and Asthma. Dr. Zaheer Ahmed is identified in PRAANA's records as “Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, DAA.” The DAA training program is associated with Christian Medical College, Vellore.

PRAANA was conceived and developed by Dr. Pudupakkam K. Vedanthan (Dr. PK), an American Board-certified specialist in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado. The first PRAANA charitable clinic model was put into practice in Mysuru in 2017, followed by Jodhpur and subsequently numerous locations throughout India and beyond.

What makes this clinic different

The notice saying “Check Your Lung Function Absolutely FREE” represents only one part of the PRAANA concept. Depending upon the individual clinic and available resources, PRAANA services can include medical evaluation, spirometry/lung-function testing, allergy skin testing, patient and family education, instruction about asthma and inhalers, and other diagnostic or therapeutic services. The organization's FAQ states that there are no charges for PCAAC services and that free medications are provided when available.

This last point is important. For a low-income patient, diagnosing asthma but then prescribing medicines that the patient cannot afford may accomplish relatively little. Providing available inhalers, nasal sprays, antihistamines or other appropriate medicines helps bridge the gap between diagnosis and actual treatment. PRAANA camp reports document free medicines being supplied at some participating clinics.

Perhaps the most important contribution: training people locally

The more significant aspect of PRAANA may be its emphasis on developing local medical expertise rather than periodically bringing specialists from the United States or large Indian cities.

Dr. Vedanthan's model developed alongside allergy-and-asthma training programs in India, including programs at Christian Medical College, Vellore, and later other institutions. PRAANA reports that physicians who had received such training subsequently established charitable services within their own communities.

That is an especially valuable model for India because health care is not simply a matter of transferring medical knowledge from one country or one large institution to another. Language, culture, economic circumstances, family structure and local beliefs about illness all influence whether treatment actually works.

A locally trained doctor, nurse, asthma counsellor or clinic assistant can explain why an inhaler is needed, demonstrate its correct use repeatedly, recognize when a patient is frightened of steroids, understand local environmental and occupational exposures, and communicate with family members in the language in which they are most comfortable.

This is particularly important with asthma because successful treatment depends heavily on what happens after the patient leaves the clinic. A patient has to understand triggers, recognize worsening symptoms, use an inhaler correctly, adhere to preventive treatment and know when urgent medical attention is necessary. Training local personnel therefore creates something more durable than an occasional free medical camp: it creates continuing capacity within the community.

The approach also has the potential to multiply. One visiting specialist can examine only a limited number of patients. A locally trained physician and team can care for patients repeatedly over many years and can, in turn, educate other health workers. This combination of specialist training, community participation, free or subsidized testing, patient education and medicines when available is what makes the PRAANA model particularly significant.

A recent article in the Karnataka Paediatric Journal describes PRAANA in essentially these terms—as a charitable initiative intended to bring diagnostic, educational and therapeutic allergy services to medically underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and as a potentially scalable approach to improving access to allergy care.

So the Aurangabad notice represents considerably more than a free lung-function test. Ruby Allergy, Asthma & Chest-TB Clinic is a local expression of a broader international-to-local healthcare model: train Indian physicians and healthcare workers, provide specialist-quality allergy and asthma care within their own communities, remove financial barriers where possible, provide medicines when available, and deliver the care in a language and cultural setting that patients understand.

PRAANA Charitable Allergy Asthma Clinics official site