TIRUCHY: In hindsight, Woraiyur residents feel silly for not reading more into the notice board — “No consultation fee will be accepted from farmers, teachers and defence personnel”. At the inauguration of Sai Care Hospital many years ago, some elders had broken into a whisper after reading the board but dismissed it as a gimmick.
Today, Sai Care is not just an infirmary where people run to when ailing. It has succeeded in creating a holistic and sustainable model of survival within itself. If the solar power panels at the hospital are what catches the eye from afar, the eco-friendly farm at the centre is a sight for sore eyes. It also boasts an aerobic-anaerobic waste management system and rainwater storage units. The 10-bedded hospital offers orthopaedic and ophthalmic care.
Dr K Narasimha, who runs the hospital, believes farmers, teachers and defence personnel are the three pillars of our nation.
“Offering them consultation free of cost is by no means a charity from our side. It is just my small way of recognising their indubitable commitment towards our nation,” the 50-year-old orthopaedic surgeon says. Up until his student days at Manipal University, plenty of teachers influenced Narasimha and he credits them for everything he achieved in life, and the contributions he imparted to Tiruchy city.
Patriotism is another virtue Narasimha wears on his sleeve. The hospital staff commemorate war memorial days and pay tributes to army personnel who returned home swathed in the tricolour. Agriculture, however, began to tickle Narasimha’s fancy only a few years ago. He contacted people associated with ecological farming, including Padma Shri Subhash Palekar, and learned about the troupes. Before long, he raised a lush farm at Vadaseri in Karur and also helped the locals restore their farmlands and spruce up a pond.
Along with his friends, Narasimha has also founded ‘Mission Green Tiruchy’ and ‘Mission Uyyakondan’. Owing to this group’s untiring efforts, Tiruchy’s largest freshwater body, the Uyyakondan Channel, was restored within three years. Moreover, his brainchild, the Bridge Foundation, has been a saving grace for many ex-servicemen, martyrs’ families and farmers. Narasimha believes in practising what one preaches, and it just so happens that he likes to preach about bridging the gap between stakeholders in society.
His expansive community-minded endeavours take nothing away from his illustrious practice as a physician and his contributions to the medical field. Narasimha, who emerged as the gold medalist in his MBBS class at Manipal University, still contributes research articles for renowned international journals. He also proudly states that his father taught him to be meticulous, which carries him forward till date.
Armed with a diploma in medical law and ethics, he created a remarkable patient consent form, which is now being used in many major hospitals in the city. This document he prepared in collaboration with the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru and the Indian Medical Association in Tiruchy, has simplified the procedure to obtain consent from patients for various procedures.
K Janakiraman, a professor from Killiyur, has been Narasimha’s patient for the last 10 years. “I approach only him for any health issue. Beyond treatment, there is something wonderful about Sai Care hospital. The healing touch, the comforting words and their respect towards fellow human beings, all contribute towards the treatment,” he says.
Who said a doctor has to heal the ailing body? Narasimha’s love for people and his enduring devotion to serving them might just be what ailing minds needs.