Prasad, Madurai

My name is Ram Prasad. I work as a professor. I have come from Madurai; I live at Agrivil in Madurai. For about a month the pain in my left leg kept getting worse. Initially it was slight. At that time I rubbed on some medicated oil and left it. As the days went on it grew worse, and at one stage it became terrible. I could not get up in the morning and go to brush my teeth. The pain would pull at me and put me straight back on the bed. It was that difficult for me. After that I could not manage to go to the bathroom or the toilet in the morning at all. So I went to a good many allopathic treatments in Madurai, a great many treatments. When I went and was seen, they advised a lot of things — surgery, this and that, treatment. But I watched it for a week or two. I went for that treatment. But suddenly — there was some improvement and then it came back to the first point again for me. That was when we thought of it: two or three neighbours told us there is an AVN Hospital near Vilachery in Madurai, go and be seen there. Hearing that at once, by word of mouth, hearing what they said, we came here. Two weeks ago I came and sat here; that was the first time I came inside. As soon as I saw this ambience — that atmosphere, that peaceful setting, a well-ordered green environment, in Madurai. A place this far out, quiet, airy, where people breathe good air. The very first time, even as I came in by car, an environment with no noise — that alone gave me a great deal of confidence. Such a good place exists in Madurai, and we had tried everywhere else and never looked here. As I entered the reception, two staff came and led me neatly, and two or three attendants came and helped me down out of the car. They sat me down and asked, what is the problem, sir, whom do you want to see. My neighbour had recommended Dr. Biju sir, so I said see him; I did not know anyone else. So I waitedand saw sir. First the junior doctors see you; they read through a lot of the history. And even he said it so positively: sir, this is something that commonly comes at this age, do not worry. My wife and I had come. Because our mindset was completely complicated — our ears, our eyes, our mouths were full of nothing but how very problematic this was, hearing it over and over. We came after two weeks of being thoroughly vexed, and here it was the junior doctor who first said, this is a normal problem at your age, sir; go to the doctor here, you will go next to the senior doctor, he will talk to you in an ordinary way and see to it, he will give you strength. Just that — about 30 or 40% of hope came. Then we waited for a few minutes. And immediately two more nursing ma'ams came, saw that I could not sit, quickly sat me on a sofa, told Biju sir at once and took me in quickly. And he too examined me well. He asked me to walk this way and that way, to walk on my toes and on my heels, changing the foot. Even then we said, sir, we are afraid, sir; how is it that I cannot walk at all? Do not worry at all. We are here. We have seen a great many cases like this. At the extreme end, people who could not walk at all, people whose arms and legs had given way — we have treated them and they have got better. Your case is an easy one for us. We have seen a great many like this. Go home now and consult about it. We have a two weeks' bed rest treatment. You must be on bed rest. You must eat our food — he told us all of it in order. For me it felt like a release, and I said, sir, I am ready to cooperate, sir, please give me a bed — even as I said it the pain of walking was tearing at me. So immediately, as soon as I got home, my father and mother came, we consulted, and I said, admit me tomorrow, I cannot stay at home. So immediately, the very next day, they admitted me. Just thatatmosphere — I say it again, so silent and so cool. A sister took me straight along and showed me four or five rooms. At that point I had come down from the car in a wheelchair. As soon as she showed me four or five rooms I liked one immediately. I praise you for that too. Because they take the patient along — taking them room by room, do you like this one, do you like this one? Because at a great many hospitals they just say, this is your room. So once several rooms had been shown I picked the one convenient for me. It was easy; my wife and I looked and chose a room immediately. So on day one they started the treatment. Such care from those people, the sisters, the staff who do the therapy. And they told us the patient's food would be given here. So the mess people, the canteen people, exactly on time — if that is a system, then that is it: 2:30, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00. I told the time by their coming. If it is 2:30, coffee comes at exactly 3:00. At 3:30 the fruit salad comes. At 4:00 the soup comes again. Timing like that — such an organisation, an organisation this large, maintaining it with this many staff. Keeping to timings in this day and age — being an employee myself, I work somewhere too — getting people to work to time is very hard, unless the staff themselves know their responsibility. They are all in that one mindset, responsible enough to see the patient better and send them home. That is a very great gift to this hospital. All are like-minded, all have a good team, everyone has a mind for effective work. Credit goes to the leader, the founder — the founder of this hospital, and particularly Dr. Biju sir; for anything, they say, ask sir, ask sir. I liked that culture very much. Because having a single point of contact doctor in a big hospital is very hard — without each person saying something different and confusing the patient. Even midway I developed asmall sore, a small bed-wet soreness. Immediately five or six people came and looked at it. Having looked, straight away, I will ask the doctor, I will ask sir, I will ask sir — and even at night a duty doctor came and asked the senior, Dr. Biju sir. And the very next morning the medicine was brought and applied. So there was nothing at all to worry about. We had only to arrive and lie down. And at that particular time sir challenged me exactly. Two weeks you should be with us, he said. At first he said 15 to 20 days. That depends on how your body takes it, we will see, he said. I said, all right sir, that is fine. In the first week itself, by rest day two, I got up myself and greeted him. That is how much the oil massage treatment does. Once in the morning, once in the evening, and twice if needed. Then again they give the enema treatment. So whatever suits, with nothing harmful to anyone and no trouble, using natural herbal sources available in nature, they treat us properly, and for every patient, if they have committed to two weeks, they see them better and send them home exactly before that. They keep a strong strategy and policy at the hospital. That is what is very attractive and gives patients a confidence. Because for me, within the two weeks — by the eighth or tenth day — I am very much confident that I can move and walk. They treat you that correctly and well. It was only after coming here that I saw a great many big cases getting better; in the bed next to mine, my neighbour, people come and go, they go better, saying this problem and that problem. I saw it with my own eyes. One man had come with a paralytic attack in his arm and leg. They had got his arm better and were now working on the leg — his wife said so when she was talking. It has been 20 or 30 days, sir; first they set the arm right, and that alone is quite enough for us. Now we are seeing tothe leg, the lady said yesterday when she was speaking. So to that extent they completely take care of the patients, they get them better, and they send them back before the time they committed to. That is more important. That is the important thing patients will like. So with all your blessings I have got better and I am going to leave.