THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: She is known for her acting prowess, but for actor Amala Paul, who has earned a reputation in the south Indian film industry, there is a lesser known side. Even in the middle of a rigorous shooting schedule and amidst her busy preparations for the big fat wedding that took place recently, the ‘Mynaa girl’ finds a day’s time to spend with a few unfortunate people in Aluva, her native place, and suburbs, who suffer from chronic ailments. The patients include those ranging from handicaps to terminally ill ones suffering from cancer, cerebro-vascular and tuberculosis.
It all began when Amala was invited to inaugurate the Palliative Care Unit of the Aluva Municipal Council last year.
The actress who was touched by the deplorable condition of the patients said she would not only help the patients financially but would also like to visit and see them personally and pacify them.
On February 4, Amala joined the members of the Palliative Care Unit to visit the houses of the most vulnerable and the marginalised.
They were suffering from chronic medical illness, physical and mental disability and bodily disfigurements and it was the fear of isolation that troubled them most.
“I realised that their dependence on others and the feeling of being a burden, depressed them most,” observes the actor.
One of the patients she saw that day was Antappan from Pathalam near Eloor. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The tumour was too large and since his health was deteriorating, surgically removing the tumour was out of the question. He was on a chemotherapy.
The diagnosis was a shock for the patient and his family. He was deeply sad, had a hard time sleeping, and was particularly worried about his wife who was bed-ridden with some rare disease, and his child. He also had severe stomach pain. Amala spent half an hour with him and his ailing wife, enquiring about the illness.
The presence of palliative care givers and centres in Indian hospitals, especially Kerala, has doubled in the past five years. Ten years ago palliative care was rarely seen, now more than 50 percent of hospitals have palliative care teams.
According to the actress, the field is expanding beyond major hospitals to dialysis centres and cancer wards, which is highly encouraging. But for the ailing patients with a baggage of physical, psycho-social and family problems, a nod of support and kind words are more encouraging than medicine, she says. She feels there are several obstacles in front of the care givers in achieving their goal.
On February 4, Amala returned after distributing more than a lakh of rupees to various patients she saw and pacified that day. The pretty lady was seen waving her hands to the patients who were thoroughly enjoying her company. While departing, she promised to visit them whenever she gets time.
It is learned that she kept her promise by making a second visit. She presented a wheel chair to Elavunkal Deepak in Aluva, who had been on the bed and chair for the last 14 years, paralysed down the hip.