TIRUNELVELI: In a healthcare system where a doctor’s appointment often comes with a hefty bill, a long wait, and the quiet anxiety of whether you can afford to fall sick, a 28-year-old doctor in Tamil Nadu has been an assuring wind of change. A government-school alumnus from K Ramanathapuram village in Dindigul, Dr R Aathimaarimarudhu has been offering free consultation to students of government, government-aided, and private schools for the past five years.
The young doctor, who has been running a modest clinic in an alley in Ambasamudram, has little interest in the trappings of success that often define the medical profession. He neither owns a house nor a car, and has never felt the need to keep up with society’s status symbols.
Patients who walk through his doors rarely seek treatment elsewhere. For thousands of cash-strapped families, Dr Aathimaarimarudhu is the reassuring voice who calls to ask if they have taken their medicines, the familiar face at family weddings and temple festivals, and most importantly, the physician who does not equate treatment with financial status.
“Those who come to me should never have to return without treatment simply because they cannot afford it,” Aathimaarimarudhu told TNIE.
The 28-year-old spends nearly 12 hours a day at his clinic and takes calls during emergencies at night. He treats over 100 patients every week. While consultations for students are completely free, their families usually spend no more than Rs 30 for treatment.
Growing up amid financial hardship, he says, taught him that the greatest service a doctor can offer is not merely medicine, but dignity. His parents, P Ramamoorthy and R Valliammal, worked as labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to educate him and his two brothers. The death of his father due to prolonged illness struck a severe blow to the family. It was his teachers at the school, along with his elder brother, R Sankar Pandian, who stepped in with financial support and helped him complete his MBBS at Tirunelveli Medical College. “That is what made me who I am today,” Aathimaarimarudhu said.
He graduated from Tirunelveli Medical College at a time when the country was reeling under the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Soon after, he joined a private hospital, where he struck up a friendship with medical sales representatives R Sundar and M Chandru.
“When I shared my idea of offering free consultations to students, they did not hesitate for a moment,” he recalled. Chandru had lost his mother to cancer, making the idea deeply personal for him. The two friends helped Aathimaarimarudhu find a small rented space to set up his clinic, while he took a personal loan to transform it into a functioning healthcare centre.
Today, he earns around Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000 a month from the clinic, with which he covers his daily expenses and house rent where he lives with his mother. Beyond that, he says, he wants little. “My elder brother, R Sankar Pandian, gave up his own education so I could pursue mine. The least I can do is support his family now,” he said.
Aathimaarimarudhu credits his medical career to the mentors who refused to let his dreams slip away. Despite qualifying for an MBBS with high marks, financial barriers initially pushed him into a private engineering college. Recognising his potential, his teachers intervened, facilitated his transfer, and guided him through the counselling process until he successfully enrolled in Tirunelveli Medical College.
“People have asked me to return to my native village in Dindigul, but I have never really thought about it,” he said. “Service is service, wherever we provide it. I am also preparing for a government job. Even if I get one, I want to continue treating my patients at Rs 5 or Rs 10. That’s the only plan I have for the future.”