Kalady: The police station at Kalady wears a busy look every Tuesday evening, but the people are crowding there not to file complaints, but for free medical checkups and for getting medicines. This is a unique project initiated by a group of doctors in Kalady with the support of the Kerala Police. Both the treatment and medicines are given for free.
The free clinic functions from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm every Tuesday. The Police have offered the services of three or four police officers including a woman cop to support the functioning of the clinic. It was inaugurated two weeks ago by Rural SP Rahul R Nair. A large number of patients are turning out at the clinic every week.
The treatment is being offered under the auspices of Cliff, a group of doctors, who had had taken the initiative to offer support to the people of Kalady during the 2018 floods.
Cliff started giving free treatment in a rented building at Kalady five months ago. As the number of patients went on increasing, more doctors joined the project. When the first floor room from where they were functioning turned out to be inadequate, it was Saji Markose, the local Circle Inspector of Police, who offered the unoccupied old CI office in Kalady Police Station. The CI took the initiative to speed up the procedures to open the free clinic at the station.
Dr. Najeeb Ummar, Dr. J S Siju, Dr. Lakshmi Siju and Dr. Sunil Elanthatt are the associated with the Cliff. Apart from them Dr. Vinitha Sunil, Dr. Rajesh Raju George, Dr. P M Joseph, Dr. Josey Kallarakkal and Dr. Smitha Rani are available for consultation at the clinic.
CI Saji Markose recalled that a former teacher had distributed sweets to all the staff of the police station, congratulating them for the novel project which was a model for all other police stations. He said that it was proof of the growing public support for it.
Cliff is now planning to rope in the support of psychological experts so as to benefit the police.