ALAPPUZHA : For Nagarajan, last Sunday was special. “I arrived at the asylum some 55 years ago from Tamil Nadu and have very rarely ventured out of its gates. We spent most of the day at Azheekal beach and enjoyed our time with friends of the asylum,” says the resident of Nooranad leprosy sanatorium.
In the 89-year history of the sanatorium, this was the first time inmates were taken out for a picnic.
Around 30 boarders and 22 staff visited Azheekal beach, which straddles the Alappuzha and Kollam border.
Sanatorium superintendent Dr P V Vidhya made arrangements for the trip with the permission of the district collector and district medical officer (DMO). “Every year, staff of the sanatorium organise a picnic. This time we thought of including residents to the trip. A staff council meeting made the decision, which required the approval of the collector and DMO. We wrote a letter to collector John Samuel and DMO Dr Jumana Varghese, who accepted our request,” indicated Vidhya.
“After getting the consent of the hospital management committee, we contacted the Mavelikkara KSRTC bus depot for a vehicle for transportation. We started the journey on Sunday afternoon. We spent around three hours on the beach,” Vidhya said.
Of the 85 inmates of the sanatorium, 30 were part of the trip. Staff members managed the entire expenditure, she added.
‘Most prefer to stay within asylum walls’
“Most residents are survivors, who are forced to remain in the facility due to the taboo associated with the disease. Society is yet to view patients as normal human beings. So most prefer to stay within the walls of the asylum,” said a staff member.
MLA M S Arun Kumar flagged off the trip. The sanatorium was established in 1934 on 100 acres provided by Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the erstwhile king of Travancore. People from remote parts of the kingdom, including southern sections of what is now Tamil Nadu, were admitted to the facility.
It has through the years housed over 1,500 inmates.