KOCHI: Sr Jean Rose of the Sisters of the Destitutes earned the distinction of becoming the first nun to take charge as a medical officer in the state when she joined the Family Health Centre (FHC) at Marayoor in Idukki district last December.
Having settled into the job, Dr Jean Rose told TNIE that the posting fulfilled her desire to help the marginalised. “The FHC under the Marayoor block caters to the medical needs of around 25 tribal hamlets,” Sr Dr Rose said.
“The centre caters to around 200 outpatients every day. We are also responsible for the health and well-being of the tribal population of the hamlets.” She did her MBBS and MD at the St John’s Medical College Hospital in Bengaluru, specialising in anesthesiology.
Her case is different from the usual practice of Christian religious persons with medical degrees entering church-owned hospitals or institutions.
“I’d like to thank the initiative of my former superior at the convent, who retired as a nurse from the Kozhikode Medical College, for motivating me to appear for the Public Service Commission (PSC) exam. I cleared the PSC and was appointed at this centre,” the nun said.
Dr Rose had earlier worked with the Kattapana Taluk Hospital, a church-owned private hospital for 10 years, and at KIMS in Thiruvananthapuram. According to her, a lot of programmes are being implemented to ensure that the tribal people get medical attention.
“We are involved in the immunisation drive that sees us trek more than 18km into the forest to immunise infants. However, it is tough dealing with the tribal people as they tend to disappear into deep forest when they see outsiders. But we are slowly getting them to acquiesce with the help of anganwadi teachers and government officials,” she added.