KOCHI: When Dr Sheetal Patil, a homoeopathy doctor from Kolhapur, Maharashtra switched on the TV, he felt disturbed to see the images of destruction during the floods in Kerala. “I felt the urge to do something,” he says.
So he got in touch with his friends, Ayurveda doctors Shivraj Desai and Anand More. All three are also part of an NGO called the White Army of Kolhapur which has been involved in social service and disaster management for many years. They decided that they would offer medical help in Kerala.
So, they met the head priest Kaadsiddeshwar Swami at the Siddhagiri Mutt in Kolhapur. “He connected us to a swami at the Ramakrishna Mutt at Kayamkulam,” says Sheetal. So, on August 21, the trio, along with a group of White Army volunteers, and accompanied by many boxes of medicine made the 36-hour journey by train to Kayamkulam. “We also took two ambulances for ease of travel in Kerala,” says Sheetal.
Using the Mutt as their base, the group travelled to many relief camps. “We treated around 200 to 300 patients in each camp at Alappuzha, Haripad and Edathua,” says Sheetal. “The majority of the people were suffering from fever, cough and body ache. Some had physical weaknesses.”But Sheetal noticed that women in the 50 plus age group looked very depressed. “You cannot blame them,” he says. “They had lost their home and businesses. Their family life was completely disrupted. They knew they faced a grim future.”
Interestingly, the men did not look so shattered. “As for the younger people, they looked relaxed,” he says. “Perhaps, they felt confident they would be able to succeed through hard work and determination.”
With the help of the local people, the group also went into the interiors of Kuttanad and Edathua on small boats. “In those areas, people had different ailments,” says Sheetal. “In the villages, the major problem was fungal infections, which they got by constantly moving around in the water. Eventually, we distributed 8000 anti-fungal cream tubes.”
One day, they went into an old age home at Edathua, which was run by a priest and nun. It consisted of people who had been abandoned by their children. “I saw that two were bed-ridden,” says Sheetal. “Another group suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. There was a need for catheters because some inmates had lost control of their urine and bowel movements. A few needed hospitalisation, while a couple was undergoing psychiatric treatment.”
Primarily, the doctors gave first-aid treatment for body ache, skin infection, loose motion and fever.
“Seeing them, I realised it was a commentary of our times,” says Sheetal. “Today, young people are selfish and think about their own lives. So, they have no problems in abandoning their parents. It affected me deeply. This could be the fate of all of us when we grow very old and lose our health and mobility.”
When they were moving around, the group realised that the destruction had hit all classes. “I saw that water had entered the big bungalows as well as the small houses,” he says. “Everything was spoiled: the refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, beds, utensils, furniture and the car on the porch.” So, will Kerala recover? “I think, in terms of infrastructure, it will take a year,” says Sheetal. “The economy will also recover. But I don’t know whether the people will overcome the mental trauma. So counsellors are the need of the hour. They have to play a major role.”
Interestingly, when asked to compare the people of Kerala with Kolhapur, Sheetal says, “Malayalis are peaceful, polite and co-operative, while Maharashtrians are aggressive but lovable. This aggressiveness is because we belong to the warrior class. After all, one of our ancestors was the warrior-king Shivaji.”
Following their eight-day stint, Sheetal has gained new insights. “What was very good to see was that during the disaster, the cooperation of the people went beyond caste, creed or religion,” he says. “There was no barrier. Everybody was helping each other in every possible way. This should be emulated all over India and the world, and not only in Kerala.
“Secondly, I realised that man has to love and respect Mother Nature. We should never go beyond its power otherwise, Nature will get angry. And lastly, we cannot take anything for granted because, at any moment, anything can happen.”
Aster Aadhar Hospital, Kolhapur renders help
Two teams with three doctors and fifteen volunteers each from the Aster Aadhar Hospital, Kolhapur also participated in flood relief work, with support from the Korgaonkar Trust, an NGO. The management staff and doctors of Aster Aadhar Hospital, numbering 750, also gave their one month’s salary to the flood relief operations. The group provided medical and other services to over 4250 people in 35 relief camps. They also conducted food distribution and cleaning work. School kits containing school bags and necessary stationery items were distributed to children in the camps, Ravindra Deasi, head of the Aster Volunteers team said, “The team worked from day-break to late evening every day. We were pleased with the support and cooperation extended by the people and local authorities which enabled us to serve the maximum number of people including those who needed urgent medical attention and other essential support.”