Coimbatore, Nov 4: “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal", observed a famous author. These penetrative lines came to our memory as we thought of a doctor --- Dr.K.Mahadevan from the city who is looked up as ‘God’ by his patients, especially those living with HIV . We were taken aback when they said "He has never charged a dime as fees".
Filled with curiosity to meet the doctor who is regarded as a 'beacon of hope' for many and who never charges a fee, we left for his clinic in Gandhipuram.
"A head full of knowledge and with least compassion to fellow beings is 'useless'. As humans, we fail big time when we forget to be compassionate. I realised this when I was working in Coimbatore Medical College Hospital in 1994", began Dr.K.Mahadevan.
"It was tormenting to see the day-to-day torture of the HIV infected. They were neglected; they were abhorred and abandoned; they were seen as felons; they were rebuffed by the society. Many times, even their near and dear ones refused to lend them a helping hand. It was then that I perceived being human is not about accomplishments but it's about whom you've cheered up, to whom you've made a difference", shared the 60-year-old dermatologist.
Dr.K.Mahadevan was born and brought up in Nagercoil. He pursued his MBBS and MD in Dermatology. And, for a brief span of time he worked at the Primary Health Centre in Nagercoil. In 1994, he joined as a Professor in CMCH. As quoted by him, he spends most of his time to serve the needy and comfort patients living with HIV. Till date, he has counselled thousands of HIV patients and transformed their lives with hope and zeal. Not just them, he also treats patients with other ailments, 'free of cost'.
"These days, people are well aware of the precautions and know how to protect them from unsafe sex, which is one of the main causes for spread of HIV. But, on the contrary, when the surge of HIV was at its peak, people, especially uneducated masses were completely blank about how HIV spread or how that virus could ruin their life. By the time, many could understand what is what, they were already infected with HIV," he explained.
"Around 1998, most of the people diagnosed with HIV were in the age group of 50-55. Thereon, the trend slowly drifted, as more people between 25 and 35 were infected by the virus. After a person is detected with HIV, he would change altogether. He feels completely lost and doomed. He feels pretty low; he sobs like a child and longs for solace. The pain of being treated in an inhuman fashion is what hurts them more than the disease per se", he added.
"Even today, we do not have a medicine or a treatment to cure HIV but by being humane to those victims, we can definitely bring about a difference in their lives. I submit this plea to the doctors out there, not to burden patients by charging 'exorbitant' fees. Remember they are already under tremendous pressure and immense misery. A word of love and compassion to the needy will change this world forever. To see someone suffer and just walk way is the biggest crime one can commit", concluded the noble-minded doctor with a smile.
We thanked him and left his clinic with a strong message to practise and preach. This quote by Nelson Mandela aptly fits this moment, "Our human compassion binds us - the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future".