Bachelor doctor serves poor

Bachelor doctor serves poor
M. Ilyas
ONGOLE, Aug. 11: At a time where MBBS doctors are reluctant to work in the rural areas, a government medical officer, Dr M. Venkaiah, working in the Ulavapadu primary health centre in Prakasam district is serving rural people for the last 20 years, while a bachelor.

Dr Venkaiah did his masters in surgery, introduced Buttonhole surgery in our state for the first time for tubectomy.

Sponsored by health and family welfare in 1997, Dr Venkaiah was trained in DPL surgery under the guidance Dr C.B.S. Sastry in Bombay general hospital.

Explaining the technique, Dr Venkaiah said that this was the only surgery that can be performed in two minutes and needed just a four-hour post operative care; this was invented by Dr Radhakrishna of Bengaluru. He said that this surgery was painless, created no scars and was without sutures.

He referred to rural women working in fields being happy with the new technique, as they can get on with their work in two-days after surgery. Stressing on the need for population control, Dr Venkaiah said that these surgeries helped to minimise population.

Referring to government spending Rs 10-15 lakh public money to produce a doctor, Dr Venkaiah said that it was strange that despite getting benefits, doctors were reluctant to serve rural populations. The thought of “giving back to society” drew him towards rural service, he added.

Referring to the Tamil Nadu government’s procedure of awarding a doctor’s degree only after completion of two year service in rural areas, he suggested this in our state.

Dr Venkaiah has performed 70,000 surgeries and trained 200 fellow doctors for Buttonhole surgeries; they have, in turn, completed nearly three lakh such operations, putting the state in the top position among southern states in family planning operations.

Dr Venkaiah received the best medical officer award 21 times from the union government. He created a record by performing 381 such surgeries in eight hours and was a guest faculty at Bangkok and Colombo universities.

The 43-year-old Dr Venkaiah is a bachelor and lives in Ulavapadu village. He said that he would soon start a trust to provide the latest medical treatment to rural populations and asked fellow doctors to come forward to serve the rural poor.
In 2009, he was recommended for Padma Sri award by then district collector, Mr K. Devanand, but he was not considered as his public service was little short of required 20 years.