DR. S.N. MOTHI: A Godfather to HIV+ kids

What seems to everyone to be a small humane gesture may mean a lot to a person who has lost all hopes of life and happiness. And such a tiny step taken towards the 'outcasts' of the society by a city doctor has now become a ray of hope for them, bringing smiles on the despondent faces of not only the men and women affected by AIDS but also on the innocent faces of children.
Dr.S.N. Mothi, city's well-known Paediatrician and Chairman of Asha Kirana, a voluntary Charitable Trust, has been a father figure to hundreds of children who have been caught in the quicksand of AIDS. His saga of founding the organisation is an interesting and painful one, compelled by his continuous association with HIV-affected kids as a paediatrician. When Star of Mysore spoke to him about his journey from the hospital corridors of Chennai to the portals of Asha Kirana, he relived his experiences thus:
Shwetha: How did your association with HIV-affected kids begin?
Dr. Mothi: It all began when Dr. Suniti Solomon, the Founder-Director of Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE), Chennai, asked me to visit the hospital where HIV-infected kids had no paediatrician to look after them. They had one block and had many HIV-affected children. I started visiting the hospital regularly. Over time, I trained the doctors there and then I had an opportunity to train in the US in 90s. I went to Chennai for 7 years. Looking at my involvement and passion where I had to travel close to 500 miles overnight only to look after the children, they did not want me to stop my visits.
It was a time when people scarcely believed that HIV-AIDS existed in India. So there was a need to create awareness in the public. Thus in Mysore, Asha Kirana took birth in 1997 — first as a counselling-cum-care clinic for the HIV-infected. It later emerged as a full-fledged hospital in 2004. At the beginning, Mahaveer Hospital gave us an upstairs portion. I used to work part-time there before coming to the clinic (Dr. Mothi runs a paediatric clinic in Yadavagiri).
Gradually we started conducting awareness programmes in schools and colleges, rural outreach programmes involving villagers. Many industrialists in the city helped us fund the cause. My wife too actively participated and we worked in four-five shifts round-the-clock. Then patients increased and we had to have our own hospital. Hence, Asha Kirana was shifted to its own sprawling campus in Hebbal Industrial Area.
Shwetha: You had thought of stopping your visits to Chennai after so many years. But you decided not to, why? What made you regress from your decision?
Dr. Mothi: As I told you, I gave a talk to the faculty about my experiences with the children and after 6 years, I thought the doctors there were quite equipped to handle the children. But when the time came, it became difficult to leave because I had seen those kids growing up and had become quite familiar to their parents, caretakers and grandparents. They all started telling me to come and visit them at least once in a while.
That was when I felt they needed an emotional support. I still remember there was a HIV-infected boy called Anand who is still alive. He was taken care of by his grandfather, a very caring and wonderful old man. Even after retirement, he continued working so that he could take care of his grandson.
One day, after I wrote the prescription, he asked me to write a message behind the prescription note. I asked why? He replied that it was Anand's birthday. I wrote: "Anand, I love you from the bottom of my heart and wish you many healthy years to come."
Then the grandpa said: "Last year too you had written the same message and Anand still reads it every Monday morning before going to school. May God bless you."
It was a small gesture. But then I realised there were different dimensions to loving and caring. This inspired me to continue visiting the kids in Chennai.
Shwetha: Any other incident that lingered in your mind?
Dr. Mothi: Yes. I still remember an old man whose daughter had a kidney failure. He also had to take care of his grand child and educate him. One day when he came to see me, I saw that one side of his spectacles was cracked. I asked him, 'you climb up the stairs to come here and what if you fall and hurt yourself? Shouldn't you buy new spectacles?' He said this year he had to pay the education fees of his grandkid and so would buy the specs next year.
I was moved by his commitment towards his grandkid. Later, I managed to secure a school seat for his grand child at low cost and it was a delight to see him looking so happy and proud wearing the new specs.
Shwetha: What is your most disturbing experience with HIV-affected kids in all these years?
Dr. Mothi: I would not consider it disturbing but it was quite moving. In 2004, I was asked to see a child in Mysore. The kid, who was in advanced AIDS condition, was suffering from repeated nose bleeding. His nose had bled so much that there was blood all over the floor of the hospital. His mother was screaming on seeing her son bleed. That year, we had lost two children to advanced HIV. It was very hard for me and then we decided to provide free ART (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) to HIV-infected kids. Asha Kirana became the first hospital to provide free ART roll-out in the entire State. At first the Trustees supported us, and later volunteers and donors joined in. Later in 2009, the government took initiative to provide free ART.
Asha Kirana is the only hospital in the State which serves children with immunity disorder, with ART medicine and hospital facilities, free of cost.
I would like to give one example of the grit of HIV-infected kids in facing life. Recently, I visited a HIV-infected girl who had developed excruciating discomfort and joint pain. She started crying when she saw me. When I asked her why, she answered that she missed the final exams due to the pain and a whole academic year was wasted. She was not afraid of the pain she was going through but was upset she missed her exams.
Shwetha: At what age do you begin counselling for the kids?
Dr. Mothi: Mostly, when a patient comes to know about the HIV-infection. To the kids, we start counselling as they grow older, at about 10 years or when they can comprehend the reality. We talk to the family members and the kids so that they become more responsible towards their health. We form support groups and conduct interactions. Interestingly, many kids come to me complaining that their parents forgot to give them medicine on time. Such is the way they carry out their responsibility.
Shwetha: How do the kids adapt to their living condition?
Dr. Mothi: They may feel inferior when they are kept away by others. But as kids grow older, they will learn to adapt to things.
Being a paediatrician and looking after the HIV-infected children is not just a job for me... it has become a journey... a passion... a way of life.