In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 60 government doctors from across Tamil Nadu have come together to pool in funds to construct toilets for families of Selvip Nagar in Adigaratty panchayat in The Nilgiris district. After constructing a toilet for an elderly man suffering from paralysis, the doctors have a list of families in need of toilets on a priority basis.
It all started with a group of five government doctors pooling in funds to construct a toilet for Kalimuthu, a resident of the village in Coonoor taluk, who was suffering from paralysis for eight years, and did not have a toilet at home. “I read a report about him in a magazine and went in search of him. The hamlet has 63 houses and came under a containment zone after one person tested positive for COVID-19. Yet, people were moving in and out frequently. When I inquired, they said the majority of the households did not have toilets and they had to defecate in the open,” said Kiran Kumar, assistant surgeon, Government Primary Health Centre, Ketty.
Despite being paralysed, Kalimuthu, in his 60s, had to walk for a kilometre from his home to relieve himself, he said, adding: “He struggled to walk with the help of a stick. The area is very steep, and was barricaded as it was a containment zone. In steeper areas, someone had to carry him. As a result, he was not eating well.”
Five of them pooled in ₹32,000 and engaged local workers to construct a toilet for Kalimuthu. It was completed and handed over recently. As the search for Kalimuthu led the government doctors to other families that had no toilets, they decided to pool in funds to construct toilets for them.
From a group of five government doctors, the list has grown to 65. “We have prepared a list of families. We are prioritising families with girl children and elderly persons. This list has about 10 families. Once this is over, we will move to the next list. Basic sanitation is a must for people. Our ultimate aim is to make this hamlet open defecation free,” Dr. Kumar said.
