I happened to take my maternal side Periappa for a MRI/CT Scan at K.G. Scans Center in Madurai. This was the second time that I have taken my Periappa to K.G. Scans. Dr.Srinivasan runs the center and I happened to have a brief conversation with him.
He is a very dedicated individual to his profession. He has a family as well. He works long hours and takes a break between 2:30 AM till 8:30 AM and then returns back to work. While waiting for the scan results, I could see a large number of patients. It was sometime around 9:30 PM. I was wondering how come he schedules so many patients per day?
So, I asked him a very direct question. “Doctor, how do you handle cases that cannot afford to pay for the Scans?”. He replied that “Money is not an issue!. Fortunately, we are blessed with money. After all, can’t I do this to humanity? In some cases (I shouldn’t be saying this), we give them assistance money to help them reach their village. As our general practice principle, we do not charge for Cancer Patients as well.”
A MRI Scan costs around INR 6,000 to 8,000 and a CT Scan costs about INR 1,500. I see a lot of investment in State of Art machines and I’m pretty sure the operational costs can be high considering the fact that the Center runs from morning to the wee hours. It has to have uninterrupted power supply, salary that should be paid to the Staff, information technology support and maintenance fee, electricity bill etc.
I even asked Dr.Srinivasan, if he has a non-profit organization that accepts donation under the Indian Income Tax 50% exempt section – 80G. He said, he hasn’t thought about it. He politely yet firmly refused my offer for a small donation. I felt completely ashamed about myself, and for a second, thought, “what am I doing for humanity?”. He had also rendered his service to my cousin sister that unfortunately passed away due to Leukaemia.
In my profession, I’m asked to quantity the number of billable hours. We talk about deadlines etc. etc. But then where do I stand in front of people like Dr.K.G.S? I told him that “you make people around you – small!”. I have always complained that my father is an idealist and rigidly principled. But then meeting people like Dr.K.G.S and his sheer humility throws me off-balance. I get a hope that there are people that still practice Socialistic Medicine amidst the rampant Capitalism in the field of Medicine in the recent years.
In a society that indirectly breeds selfishness through 21st century expectations, how do I tell them that here is a person that considers his profession as a service to humanity? Are they going to poke fun of me as an idealist? But then do I give them a damn? I have been thrown off-balance by the selfless acts! But then the ridiculous level of selfishness among my middle class brethren really really annoys me. Any notion that is different from the mainstream thought is ridiculed as impractical!
The toughest thing in life (to me) is to spend my hours for others. I think if I can do it, I wouldn’t be ranting or rambling here. Paradoxically, this post can be considered as my dedication to people like Dr.K.G.S. A little known personality in the town of Madurai.
He made my day!
No related posts.
You made my day now, mate !! I am always surprised how these people can continue their selfless acts despite the world around them not being so.. Truly a humbling act..
Great to see such kind of personality in today’s world. In fact, he had treated my father. I am amazed to read this article. We need to spread these messages to our community.