Home to doctors

From the days of the British, Kilpauk has had an attraction for doctors. D. Madhavan on the whys of it

Kilpauk has been ‘home’ to doctors and paramedical staff for over a century.

With a great number of those working in the hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and medical consultancies on Poonamallee High (PH) Road choosing to settle down in this locality, it has gained this reputation.

A few state-run medical institutions, including Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital and the Institute of Mental Health have hundreds of medical practitioners and pharmacists from various parts of Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring States to this posh neighbourhood.

Located along the route to Fort St. George, Kilpauk drew many British doctors after a series of medical institutions and other infrastructure including Kilpauk Water Works were built in early 20th century.

While conceding that British doctors might have started the trend of physicians settling down in Kilpauk, K. Sampath, a senior surgeon living in the locality, says practicality has played a major role in this choice.

“Living here makes it easy for medical professionals to travel between their workplace (hospitals and medical colleges along P.H. Road) and home,” he says.

“In those days, Kilpauk had a profusion of avenue trees and was sparsely populated. The area was airy and calm. Doctors including veteran surgeons loved to stay there,” says B. Venketachalam, a senior doctor.

With its huge medical population, Kilpauk contrasted with neighbouring areas such as Ayanavaram, Anna Nagar, Purasawalkam and Kellys where most residents worked in the Railways or were small traders and businessmen.

It is not easy to predict how long Kilpauk will hold on to its reputation as the land of the doctors. There have already been numerous cases of veteran doctors moving out of the neighbourhood.

Poor water quality and an aspiration to settle abroad as citied reasons for doctors to pull up their stakes in this neighbourhood.

“Many senior retired doctors from various government hospitals along the P.H. Road have settled aboard, especially in the US and in the UK with their children. They leave their houses here either to caretakers or sell them. Now, the void left by these doctors ate filled by big businessmen and merchants,” said K.Suresh, a real estate agent.