It was a moving experience for a 34-year-old Siddha doctor in Tirupathur as COVID-19 patients who were treated by him at the Siddha COVID-19 Care Centre, along with some village residents came together and honoured him for helping them recover from the novel coronavirus.
The State government had ordered Kabasura kudineer, a herbal concoction regarded as an immunity booster and capable of combating viral infections, to be included in the integrated approach to combat COVID-19. Subsequently, Siddha COVID-19 Care Centres were also started to combat the virus. One such centre was started in Agaram Polytechnic College in Tirupathur district on July 15, 2020. It had 60 beds in 26 rooms and the patients were provided with traditional food and herbs to combat the virus. Food and soups were cooked only in earthen pots.
"Besides, we kept the patients engaged. We opened a library, herbal garden that the patients maintained and engaged them in dance and music also. We kept talking to them and helped relieve their stress," said V. Vikram Kumar, the doctor who was in-charge of the centre.
A total of 625 patients were treated at the centre till November 29 when it was closed. “Cases dropped in the district and as Siddha centres in other districts were shut, we also closed it. But there is a demand from the public to reopen it,” added Dr. Vikram Kumar.
Recently, some of the patients who were treated by him honoured him with a memento and Tirupathur collector M. P. Sivanarul handed it over to him on behalf of the people. “In March itself, he started distributing Kabasura Kudineer to boost immunity. As numbers increased, a centre was started. He provided good treatment and also taught us yoga and exercises. He dedicated himself for our treatment and he did not go home at all for four months,” said Arun Mozhi, a social worker.
