Life always gives us the chance to positively impact someone’s life, directly or indirectly. Be it by regularly donating our blood or simply by saving water or not wasting food. It just depends on your intentions. Like this doctor who became the ‘Medical Messiah’ for thousands of patients suffering from cancer.
A surgical oncologist from Chennai, Dr Ravi Kannan runs the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Silchar, Assam where he has till now treated over 70,000 cancer patients free of cost, reported NDTV. Since the past 13 years, he has been treating cancer patients hailing from a low-income background. And to honour this man with a golden heart, the government of India felicitated him with the Padma Shri Award, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour. Dr Kannan was one of the 118 recipients who were conferred with this award on the 71st Republic Day.
Ravi Kannan is a surgical oncologist from Chennai who has treated over 70,000 cancer patients free of cost in Barak valley. Treatment includes accommodation, food, employment & spreading awareness. He will be recognized with Padma Shri. #PeoplesPadma #PadmaAwards2020 #PadmaAwards pic.twitter.com/YN5TJf6iVH
— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) January 25, 2020
After a casual visit to the Cachar Cancer Hospital, Dr Ravi and his wife Seetha bonded with the people there. And it didn’t take time for them to quit their jobs in Chennai and shift to Assam in 2007 to provide the people of Barak valley with high-quality healthcare service. “I thought if we offer low-cost many people will come,” he said to TOI. But providing low-cost medical services wasn’t the only thing he did for the people. He also opened a free kitchen and provided shelter for people. He says:
“I thought with free food and shelter people will be happy to receive treatment. In many cases, treatment was free too. So it was good. Or so I thought.”
Assam: Oncologist Dr Ravi Kannan, who runs Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Silchar that caters to people from all socio-economic status, has been conferred with Padma Shri award this year in the category of medicine. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/66AWVRrQtl
— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2020
However, even all this didn’t encourage cancer positive patients to come to the hospital to get treatment. An in-house study found that only 58% of the people tested positive for cancer didn’t return for treatment. “Only 28% completed treatment. People were dying in pain and agony. If they have to come for treatment, they need to be accompanied by a family member, who will have to lose their wages and the family will starve,” he said.
Hence, in order to encourage people, he started offering jobs to the patients and their attendees at the medical centre.
“So, we offered them jobs that required unskilled labour. They could clean wards or water plants for Rs. 100 a day. Some would do plumbing and carpentry.”
He even made sure to send a medical team to the doorstep of the patient for free homecare if they didn’t return for follow-ups. This led to a spike in the number of patients up to 70%. Before Dr Ravi became ‘Silchar’s saviour’ and made healthcare accessible to people in the valley, people had to drive down to a hospital that was 300 kilometres away.
“I shifted to Assam from Chennai in 2007. It is all due to the teamwork of 350 individuals who work at the hospital. I think if the progress made in science does not reach the common man, then it is a failure of the system,” he said.
Congratulations Dr. Ravi Kannan for your endeavors to serve people of this region. pic.twitter.com/G9STK3hmIb
— Cachar District (@DistrictCachar) January 25, 2020
Dr Ravi now takes care of people from all socio-economic backgrounds in his hospital. Apart from providing free treatment to cancer patients, he also provides accommodation, food and employment.
Dr Ravi isn’t the only one who has devoted his life for the welfare of the people. Dr Yogi Aeron, Popatrao Baguji Pawar, Harekala Hajabba are some other unsung heroes who were awarded the Padma Shri this year. We salute these brave hearts!