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SivaSanta Clinics

SivaSanta ... the Medical Charities

'Human Anatomy',
Chart

Among the beliefs of the Temple of Fine Arts is one which holds that art and welfare are inseparable. While one is only possible with an acute awareness of life and death, the other requires an empathetic response to the suffereings of those whose pain cannot be eased by a daub of paint or the delicate hum of the tambura. Indeed if art, and all that it stands for is not to be an exercise in self-indulgence, it should be reflected in the way we treat others.

The Temple of Service was thus started in 1983. With both a medical and dental wing, it began services in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Johore Baru) before finding parallel forms in India (Chennai, Coimbatore and Kerala) and Singapore. Funded by an unusual quartet of businesses and staffed by volunteer doctors and assistants, it operates six evenings a week.

In a most remarkable way, the clinics give continuity to the work of the great sage of the Himalayas, Swami Sivanada Saraswati who, as Dr Kuppuswami, once trudged the remote plantations of south Malaya dispensing medicine and care to the sick and needy.


Outpatient Medical - in early 1983 with the Temple of Fine Arts barely on its feet, Swamiji who had mooted the idea of free medical treatment for the poor, declared ' ...by 20th April we shall start the Shivananda Clinic (now renamed the SivaSanta Clinic) come rain or shine!' Not surprising really, considering that were a fair number of devotees in the fold who were medical professionals, all anxious to get into the thick of things having been fed on inspiring tales of service of the great Dr. Kuppuswami. In those days there was within close proximity to the Temple of Fine Arts, some fairly extensive slum shanties... Family Medicine \| Ante Natal \| Family Planning \| Counselling \| Immunisation \| Milk Programme \|
Social Education - a common error that is made in undertaking the upliftment of the poor is the assumption that assistance takes the form of hand outs ... free this , free that or some unworkable advice on what a nutritious diet should consist of. Such a plan is limited in its efficacy and most often falls apart on the wayside owing to logistical problems. Far more important are empowerment programs wherein the poor, and especially the women folk are educated on family control methods and basic skills on home management involving simple financial skills, literacy and primary health and hygeine. In Coimbatore, India, such an experiment is well underway... Nutrition \| Employment \| Child Education \|		'Sphygmo Manometer'
Referrals - a charity clinic is well and fine, but what can be done for patients whose needs include specialist care and surgery? In countries outside India, the poor are relatively fortunate owing to the good public hospital infrastructures available. In India this is seldom the case, and hospitalisation is an impossible proposition for the hard core poor. Both our Chennai and Coimbatore clinics have been bold in offering such genuine cases sponsored hospitalisation facilities... Hospitalisation \| Affiliated Centres
'Medication Samples'
	Alternative Medicine - a major calamity arising from the colonial dark ages was the near total destruction of indigenous forms of medical treatment, that had been in operation for millenia. As western allopathic medicine eclipsed and supplanted the traditional systems in the major cities, and with the burgeoning socio economic divide making its accessibility even more remote for the poor, the traditional systems found continued patronage in the rural areas, albeit under very trying conditions. Economic necessities have fuelled renewed interest in the forgotten arts, and assisted with modern investigative research techniques there has been increasing confidence in these ancient arts... Siddha \| Ayurveda \| Homepathy \| Hatha Yoga \|
Dental - just the mention of the dentist is enough to send shivers up the spine. Yet the neglect of dental hygeine and the general ignorance in this area is widespread even among the educated. The first dental clinic was opened in the Temple of Fine Arts premises, fully equipped with modern dental chair, x-ray facilities and other accessories. Its operation continued for some years but had to cease owing to some logistical problems. Now Chennai leads the way with yet another dental clinic, while KL awaits the resumption of this service... Basic hygeine \| Common Dental Problems \|
Mobile Medical Camps - given the relative affluence of the poor in KL, and the fact that many genuine cases lie scattered and neglected in the far away estates and rural countryside, the doctors in KL mooted how best to serve this segment of the poor. The hidden hand of providence showed the way when a well wisher donated a brand new van, refurbished with conveniences for use as a mobile clinic... Mobile Clinic \| Affiliations \|		'Mortar & Pestel
The Centres - the Shivananda clinic in KL proved to be an inspiritation for similar ventures to be undertaken by Swamiji's devotees in other centres. The care and commitment in the operation of this medical service has continued with unflagging zeal on a daily basis for almost twenty years... Active Centres \| Volunteer Staff \| Statistics


Outpatient Medical - in early 1983 with the Temple of Fine Arts barely on its feet, Swamiji who had mooted the idea of free medical treatment for the poor, declared ' ...by 20th April we shall start the Shivananda Clinic (now renamed the SivaSanta Clinic) come rain or shine!' Not surprising really, considering that were a fair number of devotees in the fold who were medical professionals, all anxious to get into the thick of things having been fed on inspiring tales of service of the great Dr. Kuppuswami. In those days there was within close proximity to the Temple of Fine Arts, some fairly extensive slum shanties... Family Medicine \| Ante Natal \| Family Planning \| Counselling \| Immunisation \| Milk Programme \|
Social Education - a common error that is made in undertaking the upliftment of the poor is the assumption that assistance takes the form of hand outs ... free this , free that or some unworkable advice on what a nutritious diet should consist of. Such a plan is limited in its efficacy and most often falls apart on the wayside owing to logistical problems. Far more important are empowerment programs wherein the poor, and especially the women folk are educated on family control methods and basic skills on home management involving simple financial skills, literacy and primary health and hygeine. In Coimbatore, India, such an experiment is well underway... Nutrition \| Employment \| Child Education \|		'Sphygmo Manometer'
Referrals - a charity clinic is well and fine, but what can be done for patients whose needs include specialist care and surgery? In countries outside India, the poor are relatively fortunate owing to the good public hospital infrastructures available. In India this is seldom the case, and hospitalisation is an impossible proposition for the hard core poor. Both our Chennai and Coimbatore clinics have been bold in offering such genuine cases sponsored hospitalisation facilities... Hospitalisation \| Affiliated Centres
'Medication Samples'
	Alternative Medicine - a major calamity arising from the colonial dark ages was the near total destruction of indigenous forms of medical treatment, that had been in operation for millenia. As western allopathic medicine eclipsed and supplanted the traditional systems in the major cities, and with the burgeoning socio economic divide making its accessibility even more remote for the poor, the traditional systems found continued patronage in the rural areas, albeit under very trying conditions. Economic necessities have fuelled renewed interest in the forgotten arts, and assisted with modern investigative research techniques there has been increasing confidence in these ancient arts... Siddha \| Ayurveda \| Homepathy \| Hatha Yoga \|
Dental - just the mention of the dentist is enough to send shivers up the spine. Yet the neglect of dental hygeine and the general ignorance in this area is widespread even among the educated. The first dental clinic was opened in the Temple of Fine Arts premises, fully equipped with modern dental chair, x-ray facilities and other accessories. Its operation continued for some years but had to cease owing to some logistical problems. Now Chennai leads the way with yet another dental clinic, while KL awaits the resumption of this service... Basic hygeine \| Common Dental Problems \|
Mobile Medical Camps - given the relative affluence of the poor in KL, and the fact that many genuine cases lie scattered and neglected in the far away estates and rural countryside, the doctors in KL mooted how best to serve this segment of the poor. The hidden hand of providence showed the way when a well wisher donated a brand new van, refurbished with conveniences for use as a mobile clinic... Mobile Clinic \| Affiliations \|		'Mortar & Pestel
The Centres - the Shivananda clinic in KL proved to be an inspiritation for similar ventures to be undertaken by Swamiji's devotees in other centres. The care and commitment in the operation of this medical service has continued with unflagging zeal on a daily basis for almost twenty years... Active Centres \| Volunteer Staff \| Statistics