Uma Preman – Director, Santhi Medical Information Center
- by V.B. Ramani
Even Mother Theresa would have been impressed with the work of Uma, the little girl she sent back to Kerala a few decades back to serve the people there !!!
Uma’s father, Mr.Balakrishnan was a worker in Cotton mill in Coimbatore and a committed social worker assisting the people in the neighbourhood, especially the sick and old people in slums. Naturally, his daughter fully imbibed the service spirit. Uma, as a young girl, went to Kolkatta to join Mother Theresa in her work. Mother Theresa saw the determination and strong will of Uma to serve others and possibly felt that Uma is capable of achieving great things on her own. Hence, she blessed Uma and wished her to return to Kerala to serve the people there.
This guidance set Uma on her path of laudable social work. While Uma started general social service in the early days, it was her father who guided her to the greatness of rendering medical assistance to the poor and needy. Uma became a full-time social worker and set up an Medical information centre.
Another person who impacted Uma’s personal life as well as social work was Mr.Preman, who , in a challenge with Uma, gave up smoking and drinking. But he could marry Uma only after agreeing to bring his first wife, who was a cancer-patient, to live with them !! After a few years, Preman died of Kidney problems.
Uma Preman immersed herself fully in social service once again. While nursing Mr.Preman in his illness, Uma had understood all aspects of dialysis and the problems being faced by poor people in need of such treatment. Determined to do something to help them, she consulted specialists and came to know that, if the initial investment in equipments is arranged, the running cost for giving a dialysis treatment can be as low as Rs. 350 !!!
After months of hard work in getting support resources, she ultimately set up Santhi Medical Information Centre at Guruvayur and started providing dialysis service at a cost of Just Rs.400/- to the patients. Even this was totally waived for destitute cases. The Centre became a boon, especially for those with problems in both the kidneys and in need of dialysis regularly at an affordable rate.
The good work being done by Uma Preman came to the notice of others and donations and assistance started trickling in. As money came, the capacity for dialysis service was expanded at Guruvayur to serve more people. With untiring efforts and appreciable managerial talents, Uma added new dialysis centers at Trichur, Palghat, Kunnamkulam and Puthenpalli. To top it all, she even introduced a mobile dialysis van to serve patients at interior parts of villages.
The already herculean task undertaken by her was made even more difficult by vested interests. She faced problems from other dialysis centers, whose astronomical profits were affected by her low-cost service. At one stage, she had to get medical personnel from Chennai to run her centers in Kerala !!
Uma’s efforts to get the State Government to start free dialysis service at Government Hospitals to the poor people was scorned by the then State Health Minister in 2004. When Uma spoke to the media about the Minister’s callous response, she was able to convey, not just her own frustration, but the dejection felt by thousands of poor patients in the state who would have been benefited by the implementation of her suggestion. The Minister was made to resign and the Government started considering the ways to provide free dialysis service at Government Hospitals to the poor. Even now she feels that the Central and State Governments can do a lot more in this area.
Uma Preman has support of many VIPs, who have been inspired by her social work. Actor Sarath Kumar, who is the brand-ambassador for Santhi Medical Information Centre, emulated her example by launching a mobile dialysis van service in Tenkasi that renders treatment to the needy by making house-calls !! “Kanivu” a project to support kindey patients in Kerala has been started with financial support from Chrysostom Thirumenni and Sabah Goup in Sharjah.
While dialysis was a regular need for patients with kidney problems, Uma Preman was well aware that kidney transplant was the only possible treatment for patients with serious complications. But organ donors are very rare. While donation of organs of a brain-dead person can save the life of nearly seven persons, the subject is never an easy one to discuss. Convincing others to act can be done only by setting examples before them. Uma herself had donated one of her kidneys in 1999 to a stranger, who was the sole bread-winner for the family but was critically in need of a kidney transplant. Organ donation by Saranya, a girl from Coimbatore who was in a brain-dead condition, benefited the lives of seven persons.
“Many people die daily in accidents. Donating the organs of the brain-dead person can help the beneficiaries to live a longer and healthy life; Unfortunately, awareness about organ donation is practically nil.” says Uma. She is not alone in drawing public attention to this critical issue. Many VIPs, including people like Ummen Chandi, Mohanlal, Mammooty, Suresh Gopi, and Sarath Kumar have visited her centers to show support to the cause. Many visitors, including Sarath Kumar, have signed up for donating their organs.
Uma Preman has received more than 30 awards, including CNN-IBN 2010 “The Real Hero” award that recognizes “the undying spirit of ordinary people who have done extraordinary service and have expanded the realm of humanity”. While accepting the awards with great humility like her life role model, Mother Theresa, Uma Preman hangs on to the hope that her actions would inspire others and prove that with understanding and compassion to others, even an ordinary person can have a profound impact on our society.
“Every person who signs up for donating his organ is a Real Hero”. Thousands of people are in desperate need for organ transplant and face a long and nervous wait ahead. “Organ Donation” is giving the gift of your life – after your death. It is the greatest legacy to leave. If you feel that you could consider signing up for organ donation, please visit the website www.santhimedicalinfo.org to know more about the issue.
