IDUKKI: Some people are extremely passionate about their goals in life and are determined to achieve them at all costs. And in doing so, they set an example. Dr Adarsh P, 35, is one such man. Adarsh, who holds a BAMS degree and passed out from Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Ayurveda College and Hospital, Chennai in 2007, was out to achieve ‘job satisfaction’ and fulfil his desire to serve people in tribal areas, where no doctor would want to serve. The zeal propelled him to join the government’s Ayurveda Primary Health Centre at Munippara in Mankulam panchayat, Idukki.
That was three years ago. Today, residents of the rural panchayat which is considered the most backward area of the state and is surrounded by thick and dense forest, are responding to Adarsh’s efforts.
More than 30 per cent of Mankulam’s population comprises tribals settled in 13 settlements. Of them, 11 are Muthuvan settlements while the rest are Mannan settlements. A majority of the settlements is not connected by roads and even phone networks are poor. The tribes have to travel 30 km to Adimaly to avail of any medical facility, be it of a private or government hospital. Hence, the health centre at Munippara, where Adarsh works, is the lone solace for them.
Three years of work
“In my initial days, the tribal populace was reluctant to approach doctors even for emergency cases, preferring instead the herbal medicines they inherited through generations,” says Adarsh. But his constant efforts to bridge the communication gap, his will to bring people to the hospital and the 24-hour health services bore fruit. Now, people from even remote hamlets like Kozhiyilakudi have started visiting the government hospital.
“I do not charge any money even if people knock on my door in the middle of the night. The services are free too,” says Adarsh. A few doctors who joined the hospital later left owing to lack of facilities and the sensitiveness of the area. At present, Adarsh is working with a single paramedical staff, Krishnan.
Reaching tribals
Sitting in the clinic and expecting patients to walk over 50 km to reach the centre was not something Adarsh wanted to do. “Children and pregnant women, especially, cannot travel. So we decided to go to them,” says Adarsh. The team hires jeeps to travel to the deepest tribal pockets of Anakkulam. But some places are inaccessible by a jeep. So they walk, anywhere between five to six km, to reach villagers.
“During monsoon, making inroads into the villages becomes riskier. But the difficulties are forgotten when we see we are able to save the lives of precious babies and young mothers,” he says.
Multiple medical camps
In a short span of time, Adarsh conducted multiple medical camps for the tribal by collecting a fund of nearly `4 lakh. The tribes of Mankulam, who are highly vulnerable to anaemia, skin disease and often epidemics, were given awareness classes on healthcare and nutrition. Thanks to Adarsh’s efforts, the rate and number of anaemia-affected children have dropped than previous years. “There is a certain awakening taking place in the region. Many people are coming forward to support. They are showing receptiveness. The government is helping too,” Adarsh says.
Around 11,000 people of the 13 settlements have benefited from his work. “As a doctor, what matters to me is people benefit from my service,” Adarsh says.