TB Sanatorium, at Tambarram, Chennai.
By Dayanita Singh

On the outskirts of Chennai, in a sprawling colonial compound among Banyan trees is the government-run TB sanatorium. Six years ago, Dr Deivanayagam came here as the Medical Superintendent to resurrect the sanatorium on the verge of closure. Today he says, "This is the best example of what AIDS care in hospitals could have been in India, if we had not given into the western fears associated with AIDS". This is perhaps the only hospital in India with 250 beds available to AIDS patients, and the only place where no patient is turned away for fear of AIDS.

Patients come from as far as Mumbai. When patients arrive, Dr Deivanayagam insists a family member stays with the patient so that they can be trained in home-care. He also sees 200-300 patients three times a week in his Out Patients Clinic. In the last three years, patient numbers have trebled while staff numbers have remained the same. In spite of the growing workload, the wards are spotlessly clean, and the nurses dedicated.

Dr Deivanayagam is assisted not only by his team of allopathic doctors, but also by a team of "Sidha" doctors. Sidha is a 5000-year-old form of traditional medicine that heals through diet control, herbs and minerals. This form of medicine is primarily used to try and build up the immune system. Diagnosis is made through pulse readings.

I have never seen such a hospital in India. They treat AIDS patients on such a large scale, and the staffs have no fears about the disease. There are three male wards and two female wards. Dr Deivanayagam faces some criticism for housing AIDS patients, with low immunity in a TB sanatorium. However, they are cared for; not thrown out on the street once their positive status is discovered, which often happens elsewhere. If each state had a Dr Deivanayagam, hospital care for AIDS patients would not be such a nightmare in India. His work is truly ground breaking for a government hospital. The staffs are in awe of him and the patients worship him as a hero, even though Dr Deivanayagam is strict with everyone and takes no nonsense!