Staff of VHS mourn their leader

[Guest guest]

Staff of VHS mourn their leader. VHS honorary secretary N.S. Murali passes away.

Ramya Kannan

N.S. Murali

CHENNAI: N.S. Murali, honorary secretary of the Voluntary Health Services here,

passed away early Tuesday in London, where he was on a holiday. He was 73.

He had stepped out for his morning walk and collapsed suddenly, according to

sources close to the family.

Dr. Murali, a general surgeon by training and practice, was seen as the

successor of K.S. Sanjivi, founder of VHS. He helped perpetuate Sanjivi & #8217;s

grand vision to provide the common man with quality medical care irrespective of

the capacity to pay. Dr. Murali was among the first few to sign up with VHS,

right from its founding in 1958, joining the institution as an honorary

consultant and conducting out-patient services in Mylapore, which was then the

registered office of the VHS.

Dr. Murali completed his MBBS from Madras University in 1956 and MS in General

Surgery in 1964. In 1978, he was made Fellow of the International College of

Surgeons.

From 1964, he was head of the department of General Surgery in VHS. Persuaded by

his mentor to take up some administrative work, particularly to see to the

maintenance of the hospital and welfare of the staff, Dr. Murali took up the

post of Medical Superintendent, VHS, in 1972. Meanwhile, he started his own

private surgical nursing home, Seethapathy Clinic at Royapettah in Chennai,

where he continued to perform surgeries.

In March 1985, he became the honorary secretary of the VHS, and went on to usher

in many improvements, including increasing the bed strength to over 400, taking

charge of running 14 mini health centres in rural areas, and implementing the

USAID funded project for AIDS Prevention and Control. Under his guidance, the

institution grew closer towards its aim of bridging the wide gap that existed in

the health sector between the private and public hospitals. He continued to

serve in the post on an honorary basis, until the very end.

Speaking to The Hindu in December last year, Dr. Murali articulated, in no

uncertain terms, the philosophy of VHS: & #8220;VHS evolved as a model to provide

quality care that was dependent not on the purse of the individual, but his or

her illness. & #8221;

The medical fraternity in Chennai was shocked at the sudden demise of a

colleague, who was variously described as an extraordinary general surgeon, a

fine person, and a man of impeccable integrity.

One of his closest friends and colleagues at VHS, C.V. Krishnaswami, head of the

Diabetes department, said: My wife and I have lost a truly great friend.

Dr. Murali, he says, was a remarkable general surgeon who possibly performed

surgeries on every part of the human body.He belongs to a breed of professionals

who disappeared long ago. He was the student of the legendary U. Mohan Rau, and

went on to be his assistant and successor, Dr. Krishnaswami said.

Dr. Murali's unique technique to conserve the diabetic foot was named after

him,Dr. Murali's De-compression of the Diabetic Foot, was original work that was

accepted internationally, he added.

For Dr. Murali, cash was never a consideration. His idea was to ensure that

everyone, rich or poor, would get the same quality of he said In recognition of

his services, Dr. Murali was given the For the Sake of Honour Award by the

Rotary Club of Madras; he was also conferred with the Life-time Achievement;

award by the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University.

Despite his numerous achievements, Dr. Murali stayed away from media attention,

only seeking to highlight the needs of the institution he represented for many

years VHS.

Another of his colleagues and friends, senior consultant neurologist

Krishnamoorthy Srinivas said he preferred to keep a low profile. His absolute

integrity stands out clearly, he said. While he was a stickler for punctuality

and work ethic, Dr. Murali developed a great rapport with all staff members of

VHS and inspired them constantly, he recalled.

Dr. Murali, whose wife passed away less than a month ago, is survived by his son

Sandeep Murali, also a consultant surgeon with VHS, and Uma Ram, an

obstetrician. His body will be flown down after completing legal formalities in

London, in a couple of days.

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/05/06/stories/2009050660281300.htm)

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