Doctor on a drive to restore the poor man's health

COIMBATORE: P Sivaprakasam's story is not just one of rags to riches but rather a fitting example of devotion and dedication towards the improvement of the less fortunate. A resident medical officer (RMO) at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, he was born to a family of coolie weavers. He had to struggle hard to become a doctor, spending long hours of study by a kerosene lamp.Having achieved success and financial stability, he belongs to that rare species that selflessly helps the down-trodden.
He had opened a clinic in his hometown of Idappadi, in Salem district, where treatment was free for the poor. "I have served the needy from 1979 to 1984 in this clinic. Treatment was free for about 20% of the people. I was warmly treated in my hometown," says Dr Sivaprakasam.
"He is a man who never hesitates to help during a crisis. Because of his motivation and guidance, we have buried 1,450 unclaimed dead bodies since 2004," says P Shanthakumar of Thozhar Trust. Dr Sivaprakasam says, "Recently I have started attending meetings in colleges and schools to raise awareness about body donation, blood donation and eye donation. I have managed to convince many to donate their organs for a valuable cause."
As RMO, Dr Sivaprakasam was the nodal medical officer when Coimbatore was swamped with H1N1 cases in April-May 2009. "My greatest achievement was to open two permanent wards to treat these cases at CMCH. I treated more than 1,000 cases of the flu without any hesitation," Sivaprakasam told The Times of India.
"It is a round the clock job. I am here in my seat at 7.30am and leave by 5pm. My duties are mostly that of an administrator, but I make many decisions that assist the poor. If there is a need for me when I am at home, I invariably make the 10-minute trip to the hospital," he said.
Sivaprakasam was born in a large family. His parents K P Palaniappan Bhaktar and A Angammal are from the inland fishermen community. He was the seventh of eight children which included three brothers and four sisters. All of them were daily wage labourers. "I enjoyed my schooling at Board High School, Idappadi, but I had to work as a weaver like the rest of my siblings in the morning and after school to make ends meet," he said.
"When I topped the school scoring 85%, I was able to get into a good college, the Bishop Heber College in Tiruchi. I took Biology as an elective in school and that's when I first started dreaming of becoming a doctor. Since I was the first graduate in my family, I had no role-models growing up," he said. He joined Stanley Medical College in 1972. "All through my college years, I was on scholarship that paid for tuition and mess fees. Although I borrowed from my community association, I paid back that amount when I started working," said Sivaprakasam.
In 1994, Sivaprakasam went back to Stanley to do a PG diploma in anaesthesiology. "It's a challenging branch of study. I have to be alert and sharp. I used to make it a point to meet all my patients before surgery at the ESI Hospital, where I worked for 10 years," he said.
Sivaprakasam married in 1980 and has two children. His wife is a homemaker. He joined government service in 1986. His top priority now is to make CMCH a cleaner place. Dr T P Kalanidhi, the former dean of the hospital says, "I have observed him at close quarters as teacher, doctor and a person with good inter-personal skills. He is the perfect fit for an RMO. He will be successful in anything he takes up".