Oommen Chandy: Humane leader who put patients first, say health experts
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Medical experts remember Oommen Chandy as a Chief Minister who showed a humane approach to the health sector. He was known as the man of consensus, but at times disregarded the opinion of experts when his heart was set on a welfare project for patients.
One such decision was to offer free surgery for cochlear implants to children below the age of five when he was the Chief Minister.
“Experts were divided on providing state support for a small section. But he was right. Rectifying the hearing issue allows children to develop their speech, language and communication skill that helps them to live a normal life,” said Dr Althaf A, a former working group member of the Planning Board and associate professor at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College.
The then government decided to go ahead with the Shruthi Tharangam project by allocating Rs 5 crore for the benefit of 100 children. A meeting with the beneficiaries was organised at the Durbar Hall where Chandy made an announcement to expand the programme to cover all future applicants.
He later said he was moved by the plight of affected children and their parents and it remained one of the projects that gave him most satisfaction in his career.
In addition to the cochlear implant project, Chandy also made a number of other contributions to the healthcare sector in Kerala. The e-health project initiated during his time to digitise health records became the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission at the national level. Similarly, the Comprehensive Health Plan later became the Ardram Mission, which enabled local bodies to fund health projects. “The infant and maternal mortality numbers of the state had been stagnant for 30 years since the 1980s. The numbers came down to single digits due to active interventions from 2011 onwards,” said Dr Althaf.
Dr PS Shajahan, professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Government TD Medical College, Alappuzha, who often acted as the family physician of the Chandys, recalled the intervention made by Chandy to provide free electricity to patients living with a life support system at home. “It was a great gesture that helped many patients to continue the use of oxygen concentrators at home. He was always ready to go out of the way to help patients. He used to call me on behalf of other patients. He makes his requests so politely that we would wake up in the night to meet them,” said Dr Shajahan. He added that Chandy often ignored his health even when he was most concerned about the health of others.
There are health experts who criticise Chandy too. “The expansion of medical colleges in every district without adequate preparation compromised the existing health care centres. His mass contact programmes offered help to a few patients. But he failed to bring an institutional framework. There were several projects including air ambulances and organ transplantation that did not take off the way he planned. Perhaps, he did not get enough support from his health ministers,” said a doctor.
Chandy's legacy in healthcare is complex. He made some significant contributions, but he also made some mistakes. However, there is no doubt that he was a man who cared deeply about the health of the people of Kerala.