In a show of solidarity, people in an around politically divided Vadakara taluk rose as one to make contributions to raise funds for dialysis facilities for kidney patients.
People in Vadakara municipality and eight neighbouring panchayats contributed nearly Rs 3.3 crore on Sunday in a campaign to raise funds to purchase dialysis machines.
Piyush Namboodiripad, superintendent at Vadakara Government District Hospital who led the programme named ‘Dhanvandhiri Nidhi campaign, says: “it is amazing that when health issues are involved, people are able to sink their political differences to support our programme to help kidney patients on dialysis.”
As proof, the doctor points to hoardings put up across the region seeking the people’s support for Dhanvanthiri Dialysis Nidhi. It was an unusual show of unity by the people of Vadakara where political clashes had led to bloodshed and loss of life.
The hoardings call upon the people to participate in the programme, which is jointly backed by political parties as diverse as Congress, CPI(M) and its fiercest rival in Vadakara, the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and BJP, besides other small parties
It was the heart-rending tales of suffering of patients on dialysis and their relatives who were financially weak to provide dialysis that prompted Dr. Namboodiripad and his team to organise the campaign. Many had even sold their land to pay for dialysis of relatives .
A survey by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) showed that nearly 800 renal patients were on dialysis in and around Vadakara.
It was decided to follow the model that was successfully tried in nearby Perambra where a similar situation had developed. People there had contributed Rs 1.25 crore .
The interest from this money kept in fixed deposits, was being used to meet the dialysis expenses at the Perambra government block hospital.
The Perambra campaign was led by block panchayat president Kunhammed, Mr. Namboodiripad and social worker Tharuvay Haji.
Groundwork for a similar project on a much bigger scale has been under way in Vadakara in the last two months where nearly 200 dialysis patients waited in queue for life-saving dialysis. Only two dialysis machines were available at the Vadakara government hospital.
Nearly 20,000 health workers visited 80,000 houses on Sunday to receive donations.
The money will be kept as fixed deposit in nationalised banks to pay for free dialysis.
Among those who contributed to the Dhanvanthiri Nidhi included Union Minister and Vadakara MP Mullappally Ramachandran, C.K. Nanu, MLA , Vadakara municipal chairperson P.P. Ranjini, and other people’s representatives
The committee leading the Dhavanthiri Nidhi campaign has already received offers for 14 dialysis machines.
The Dhanvanthiri campaign has given Vadakara, known for its fierce political rivalry and political clashes, the distinction of being a development model in the health sector
