Born on 27^th April 1928 son of an Anchal Master in a financially backward family at Poovampara village, Alamcode near Attingal town, Thiruvananthapuram district. From the very childhood he had the ambition of becoming a doctor with the intention of serving the poor and needy fellow beings. After completing the preliminary education he secured admission overcoming many adverse circumstances in the Madras Medical College and won MBBS degree with flying colours. He secured a couple of awards and honours for his covetable achievements in Gynaecology. In those days male doctors in Kerala didn’t like to specialize in Gynaecology because there was no scope for private practice. Even in these circumstances he opted for Gynaecology because he was interested not in private practice, but in teaching and research in antenatal care and intranatal care. With this goal in mind he secured admission for MD in the Madras Medical College itself in the Central Government quota and became the first qualified male Gynaecologist in Kerala. He was a residential scholarship holder throughout his medical studies for MBBS, DGO and MD.

After his successful completion of medical education he got appointment in Kerala State Health Services. He served in the Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram for few years. Then he was transferred and posted to the family planning training center because of his interest in family planning programme. There he was giving formal training in family planning to all the doctors of the State Health Service with particular stress in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. His intention was to impart better training in antenatal care and intranatal care along with training in Family planning for doctors working in peripheral centers so that they will give better care to the women in Kerala. His excellent services in the field of family planning and the training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology were highly appreciated by the doctors, most of them his old students. He asked for 25 beds in Women and Children Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, where there were 250 beds, to impart practical training to the doctors. The Directorate of Health Service did not permit this. Therefore he opted back to his parent department, the Medical College (SAT Hospital). Out of 6 units in SAT Hospital his was the most popular unit. His colleagues and seniors could not tolerate this, and they fabricated allegations against him and with their influence at the ministerial level he was transferred. He did not join the new post. The hostility continued and they managed to get him compulsory retirement.

This was a blessing in disguise for him and his activities. He decided to devote his full attention for the rest of his life in the prenatal and intranatal care of the needy women folk of Kerala and propagate Family planning. He fulfilled his intention by starting a small private hospital named G.G. Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for women and children, the first of its kind in Kerala state.

Started in a very humble way in 1975, G.G. Hospital has now emerged as one of the leading multispeciality hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram. Housed in three multistoried buildings, this hospital can now accommodate about 250 patients. It is functioning in a service and research oriented manner providing jobs to 250 employees who enjoy several types of additional service benefits like pension, free refreshments, travel facilities, marriage aids for self as wall as children, interest free loans for purchasing land and houses. Dr.Velayudhan had started a pension scheme for his employees with the help of Life Insurance Corporation of India. The various schemes he started for the benefit of his employees and public has earned him a name as a doctor with a difference who upholds the motto ’Service to humanity to the Almighty God’.

service activities:

Dr G. Velayudhan, a Gynaecologist of par excellence in Kerala, has not limited his activities in his professional field alone. Now he has been recognized and revered as one of the veterans in the field on social services in Kerala.

A small resume of his different service activities is given below.

Professional Excellence

He has distinguished himself in his professional career also by doing research work. Sterility was his main subject of interest. Unexplained fetal loss was his main concern. Repeated abortions, IUGR, premature deliveries, Pre-eclampsia, Eclamsia and Diabetes complicating of pregnancy are the complications commonly met with in his practice. His contention was that the obstruction of the spiral arterioles is the cause. Thrombosis of these arterioles was a universal finding in all these cases during the post-mortem examination. He attempted to prevent the thrombosis of the spiral arterioles during pregnancy by administering Heparin during pregnancy. About 1000 cases have been treated supplementing with large dose of estrogen in the form of Lynoral in varying dozes. Thus about 1000 cases were treated. In these cases the fetal loss was less than 0.5%.

Treatment for cervical incompetency

Cervical incompetence is a common complication in pregnancy leading to sudden abortion and premature labour. Ligaturing the cervical canal is the treatment for a very long time. In this method ligature is put after reflecting the bladder as high as the internal os. In this method the incidence of failure is much less than that of other methods.

Tubectomy

During the postnatal period the tissue just below the umbilical is found to be very thin. This can be opened through a small nick and through this sterilization can be effected.

To impart the knowledge how to look after a pregnant lady herself a book titled “Amma Akumbol Ariyan” was published and circulated as widely as possible through the social welfare department and Panchayaths to reach large number of people.

In pregnancy ladies develop minor symptoms like pain in the legs cramps and varicose vein etc. Most of these symptoms are due to lack of planned exercise. Physiotherapy is being tried from the very beginning of pregnancy with which these symptoms are found to be relieved.

Professional Experience

Family Planning

When Dr G. Velayudhan started his activities in medical field, people of Kerala were not aware at all of the necessity of family planning, antenatal care and intranatal care. He than realized the need of the hour is proper education about the vital importance of antenatal care, intranatal care and family planning. First of all people must be made to realize the necessity for limiting their families. The people should also understand the simplicity and harmlessness and advantages and disadvantages of the various methods for practicing family planning.

Keeping this in his mind, he did pioneering work in this field, through hundreds of popular articles and radio talks. He handled health columns in the then most popular newspaper Kerala Kaumudi and periodicals like Kala Kaumudi for imparting medical education for the common people. Through a regular column of questions and answers he cleared doubts of the common people about the necessity for antenatal and intranatal care and impressed the risk of unlimited number of births and different methods of family planning. These articles and radio talks were of immense impact.

Tubectomy

He popularized Tubectomy, by performing it through 1.5 cm incision at a time it was being done through 15-20 cms incision.

In those days in S.A.T Hospital ladies had to often wait 6 to 7 days for sterilization operating done and then about 5-6 days post operatively. This was difficult for mothers having 10, 12 or more children at home. Dr G. Velayudhan offered to do the operations daily. In this way he had done more than 500 operations, so that the hospital stay reduced to 6-7 days and this has created a great boom in the family planning field. He also started doing interval tubectomy, an operation done in between pregnancies. He was the first person who started sterilization operation for ladies after home deliveries. When the Government started propagating vaginal sterilization he did the first vaginal sterilization, he did the first vaginal sterilization. Because of the disadvantages of vaginal sterilization it did not become popular

Vasectomy

Dr G. Velayudhan did superb contribution in popularizing vasectomy too. Having himself undergone vasectomy operation, he performed more than 1500 operations while he was working in the Government Family Planning Training Centre. These operations were done through 2-3 mm incision under local anaesthesia without any stitch. Doctors were also trained. The simplicity of these operations, coupled with the monetary incentive offered by the Government made family planning very popular even among illiterate people and the hard-core society like fishermen belonging to Christianity.

IUCD

The introduction of IUCD for birth control activated Dr G. Velayudhan to conduct research for its betterment, which gained fruits also. He wrote several articles and gave radio talks lucidly explaining the merits of this method. Later IUCD became very popular as a temporary method of birth control.

Artificial abortion (MTP)

Dr G. Velayudhan, through popular science articles did creditable work to remove the prevailing prejudice against legislation of abortion. He fought against artificial abortion done by untrained personnel by crude methods, which ruined the lives of innumerable innocent mothers not only unmarried but married and living with husbands. He predicted legalization of abortions in the near future, which came true also. He was the one who did the first MTP in SAT Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.

The propaganda by Dr G. Velayudhan for family planning along with particular stress for antenatal and intranatal care and his elucidation of the risks associated with increasing number of pregnancies and labours were very effective and encouraging

III. Campaign against Social Evils

Dr G. Velayudhan’s campaign against social evils like smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction and social misdeeds also is worth mentioning. During the year in which World Health Organisation declared war on smoking he wrote an effective article in Kerala Kaumudi daily explaining the evils of smoking. This article was the first of its kind in Malayalam. He also started advising the patients who came to him for treatment in sterility etc against smoking and alcohol use. He also erected large signboards in nearby seashore villages exhibiting the bad effects of smoking and alcohol use.

He also through press campaigned against social misdeeds and social injustice.

Promotion of Communal Harmony

In the field of communal harmony too his presence was very much felt. The seashore villages of Thiruvananthapuram district usually witness communal riots between two communities. He was one among who often visit the shelter camps after such riots and provide food and medicines. In one of the riots so many Hindus were deprived of their homes in Poonthura village. This village was adopted by his hospital and temporary shelters were built for the homeless and offered to construct some houses. He was told that the government was having a scheme for building houses for all those who lost their houses.

In the Second riot, Muslims suffered a lot and the people who were accommodated in schools were helped by providing all the utensils (Milk, rice ) . He constantly wrote against it in news papers.

Contributions to the Rural Development

Dr G. Velayudhan’s contribution to the field of rural development and the

improvement of the living conditions of the villagers are significant.

Panathura, a island village – a strip of land surrounded by the sea and backwaters, 3 kms in length and with an average width of 80 meters, situated midway between Thiruvananthapuram and Kovalam was adopted in 1989 by Dr G. Velayudhan for comprehensive study and development.

At the outset, enumeration of the total number of houses and the number of inmates in each house was taken and house number (totaling 223) and cards for inmates were given. The living conditions of the majority of villagers were miserable. Some were homeless also.

He started a clinic in the village in a house renovated by him. The clinic functions two days a week. Free medicines are distributed. Those who need special treatment were brought to the city in the hospital ambulance and necessary treatments are made available in different hospitals including his own G.G. Hospital.

For recreation of villagers arrangements are also made there. A colour Television is installed in the clinic for public viewing. Film shows were also arranged three days in a week. During the film show health education talks were also arranged.

The main occupation of the villagers of Panathura is fishing and coir making. These jobs are seasonal. The villagers had to face starvation during monsoon. To solve this problem free food once a day for 6 days a week is arranged.

With a view for providing the villagers full time jobs, it was decided to give them training in making products from coir, which was abundantly available. About 60 young natives were taken in a video coach to the coir training center at Kalavoor in Alapuzha District to make them acquainted with coir products productions and to appreciate what are the products they could make out of coir. A shed was also constructed and machineries provided for training. On his request the central coir society at Kalavoor deputed a trainer to impart training for eight months. A sewing class was also started for unemployed girls.

The children of the village studying in primary classes were supplied with two sets of uniforms each. Clothes were also being distributed among poor old women.

A children’s park was also constructed for the entertainment of children.

G.G. Hospital purchased land about 30 cents and a two storied building was constructed with 16 rooms. Of these 15 rooms were given to the poorest of the poor homeless villagers.

22 latrines of modern type were also constructed for the use of villagers.

A project officer was appointed to supervise the activities in this adopted village. In this small island there was different communities and political parties. These groups were at loggerheads. With the object of bringing harmony among them games were conducted and prizes were distributed.

Dr G. Velayudhan has undertaken another housing scheme by name “Dr Ambedkar Memorial Housing scheme for the homeless”.

He launched this scheme in 1993, with a view to provide houses to people belonging to the poor and backward sections of the society. Its object is to provide small concrete house with a veranda, a living room, a kitchen and a modern latrine to every homeless person in Kadakampally Panchayath, near Thiruvananthapuram city.

In 2003 he has started another housing scheme again in 8 panchayaths namely Pallichal, Kottukal, Maranalloor, Malayinkil, Vilappil, Athiyannoor, Balaramapuram and Nemom. Here he constructed 140 houses for the homeless.

He had introduced another scheme to provide houses for the homeless employees for his institution as a part of their welfare programme. 24 houses were constructed so far.

Dr G. Velayudhan also took initiative to start various welfare programmes for more than 300 families belonging to Below Poverty Line in the urban slums of Pattom, Kesavadasapuram Area under T.P.A.F.

51 sanitary latrines have already been constructed at a cost of Rs. 5000 each. Further activities in this line are in progress. The doctors of G. G. Hospital under the guidance of Dr G. Velayudhan are conducting medical camps in this area too. A pre-school for the children of the age group 2 to 31/2 years was started at Thaikootam of this area.

In addition to all these G.G. Hospital is conducting Pulse Polio Immunization Programme for the children of this area also in association with the City Corporation.

Dr G. Velayudhan has taken the responsibility of providing total immunization of all the children in the project area.

Sri Chitra Home is a government run institution for the destitutes, particularly women and children started by the Maharaja of Travancore. There are 250 – 300 inmates of whom the majority are orphaned children. Visiting the institution and finding the condition of the Home, G.G. Hospital decided to associate itself with this institution for all round improvement of it.

There was a primary school in the premises. The school was in a pathetic state, without any furniture and the class (4 divisions) were conducted in a big, unpartitioned hall by 2 teachers including the head master. At Dr G. Velayudhan’s instance, another hall opposite to the first one was partitioned into class rooms and all necessary furniture benches, desks, tables, chairs and black boards were provided for the proper running of the classes as in a modern primary school. The students were provided with 2 sets of uniforms and a pair of slippers each and by influencing the authorities 4 teachers were appointed to handle the classes. A separate room was constructed for the headmaster and latrines were also provided.

All the inmates were brought to G.G. Hospital by the Hospital ambulance in batches of 15-20, subjected to physical checkup, including blood examination, ECG, dental care etc. Almost all of them were found to be suffering from one disease or other and were given free treatment. This medical link continued: if any inmate falling sick, on intimation will be brought to the hospital in the hospital ambulance and given not only free treatment as in patient as well as out patient but also free food for the patient and the bystander. An eye camp was also conducted at the Home with the help of the Ophthalmic Department of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and the Ophthalmologists of G.G. Hospital and those who were found to have eye diseases were given free treatment.

Job training was imparted to the inmates. The coir making unit installed at Panthura was transferred to Sree Chitra Home and an officer of the Kalavoor Coir Training center was brought to give training to the inmates in making coir products.

The food supplied was very inadequate in quality and quantity and all the inmates were badly ill nourished. Dr G. Velayudhan celebrated a series of his birthdays in Sree Chitra Home, inviting a large number of prominent people from and around the city. On these days, the inmates of the Home were able to enjoy a grand feast. The doctor’s good example was followed by many of the rich invitees who also began conducting feasts in the Home in connection with their own birthdays or on other auspicious days of those of their relatives. The dietician of G.G. Hospital made a study of the food provided at the Home and found that if an additional Rs. 2500-3000 was spent per day, the inmates could be provided with a balanced diet in sufficient quantity. A public request was therefore made through the press (Kerala Kaumudi twice and Mathrubhoomi) to rich people of Thiruvananthapuram district to come forward to bear one day’s expenditure for diet in a year, in relation to any of the auspicious days, for the benefit of the inmates of the Home. In response, many people have started giving money and feasts. Personal requests are being made to the rich and the affluent in Thiruvananthapuram district for this purpose.

Thanks to Dr G. Velayudhan’s initiation the children who have been totally confined within the walls of the Home, are now being taken occasionally for an outing to tourist centers like Shanghumugham, Veli, Museum etc and also for entertainment like circus, cinema and they are given light refreshments at the time of outing.

Old Age Home

Dr G. Velayudhan has offered to construct a building for the aged destitutes at Sree Chitra Home. A plan for a two storey building to accommodate 20 persons (ten male and ten female) at an estimated cost of Rs. 10 lakhs has been prepared and submitted to government for sanction. But sanction not yet received. Now he has taken steps to

Dr G. Velayudhan has been selected as a best Tax Payer in the charge of the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Cochin and felicitated at a function held at Ernakulam for presenting the award by Sri A. Balasubramaniam, Chairman Central Board of Direct Taxes in the presence of the Hon. Minister of State for Finance Sri V. Dhauanjaya Kumar.

XI. Self employment Scheme among unemployed women

It was proposed to give tailoring training to the unemployed women in and around Thiruvananthapuram city. Training centers were started in 9 NHGs

of Pattom-Kesavadasapuram ADS in 1998. Basic objective of the programme was to support the women empowerment programme by helping them to generate income through tailoring works. The tailoring units worked from 6 to 9 months in each NHG and a honararium of Rs. 500/- pm was provided to the tailoring mistress. 122 women were trained in these centers. Out of this 33 women are now engaged in professional tailoring and 55 women are engaged in personal tailoring.

Now this programme has been extended to 9 Panchayat (Athiyanoor, Balaramapuram, Maranallor, Pallichal, Malayinkil, Vilappil, Kottukal, Venganoor and Varkala Vilabhagum) and each center is provided with 3 sewing machines and a tailoring mistress. The women groups are responding very positively and the centers are working well.

Unemployed girls are also given training in Home Nursing at G.G. Hospital. This enables them to take up the job of looking after the sick. It gives them an opportunity to stand on their own legs economically and also provide proper attentions and care to those aili

ng at home.

Rural health Services

Free Clinic at Attingal:

ost price at the clinic. Thousands of iron and multi-vitamin tablets obtained from different medical companies were distributed to pregnant ladies, free of cost at the rate of one per day. The traveling expenditure and cost of refreshments were paid from the Doctor’s pocket. About 33,000 patients were thus treated in this clinic. Special emphasis was given for ANC and family planning. If every doctor in the Medical College of this status had done the same service, a large number of populations could have been covered.

Free Clinic at Vakkom:

It was the ambition of the doctor to conduct a community study in one of the poorest Panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram District. With this in view, he submitted many schemes to the authorities and the Universities but they could not be implemented. So, he started a study of his own, and Vakkom Panchayat, being the poorest, was selected. To enlist the confidence and cooperation of the people of the panchayat, weekly clinic was started (in the early 70s) with the cooperation of the panchayat authorities. It proved very popular.

In fact, the enthusiasm was so great that the Panchayat had to levy Rs. 1/- as registration fee for the first visit in order to control the crowd. Most of

the people of the Panchayat were ill-nourished, anaemic and infected with TB, leprosy and worm infestation was very common. TB being one of the common disease of the Panchayat, mass X-raying was resorted to with the help of the TB center at Thiruvananthapuram. The clinic functioned for about 2 years. Those who required special treatment and all delivery cases were referred to the Medical College Hospital from both these centers.

Clinic at Varkala

A large number of patients coming to G.G. Hospital are from Varkala. During the past 18 years G.G. Hospital runs a weekly rural health center at Varkala, about 50 kms, from Thiruvananthapuram mainly for the benefit of pregnant women who other wise have to come all the way to Thiruvananthapuram for consultation frequently. A Bi- weekly children’s clinic is also functioning. 70 to 120 women and 50-80 children attend these clinics, which have proved a blessing to the people of this rural area. Those who require delivery or hospitalization come to G.G. Hospital or Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram.

Dr G. Velayudhan has been extending financial aid for education to bright students who want to continue their studies and come to his notice through press or through personal contact that they are not in a financial position to do so. The financial aid is being given unconditionally but they should stay in the college hostel and should not receive financial aid from any other source.

Two medicos (one boy and a girl) were financed and both passed MBBS.
One girl has passed Geology MSc. Course.
Two girls – one from Chitra Home and the other selected at the request of Intercaste Marriage Association were given financial aid to study in the Women’s College, Thiruvananthapuram. Both of them passed the Pre-degree Examinaiton and one of them is continuing her studies in the Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram.
A Harijan girl from Malappuram, the daughter of a very poor man, secured admission into the Medical College. But she could not join the college due to lack of finance. On knowing about this through “The Indian Express” , the doctor offered her complete financial help. She accepted the offer and has passed MD in Gynaecolgoy.
A Muslim girl who passed BA in Arabic (1^st Rank) was also offered financial aid to study for MA and was given Rs. 5,000/- as first installment, but she did not stay in the hostel and was receiving money from other sources also.
Another girl who was helped financially has passed BE from Thiruvananthapuram Engineering College.
One girl studying for BVSC first year, Veterinary College, Mannuthy, Thrichur was given all financial help. She has passed the course and is now employed.
One very talented girl now studying in 9^th standard in Holy Angels Convent, Thiruvananthapuam who is very much talented in fine arts is getting a financial aid of Rs. 2500/- permonth for special tuition in Dance, Music, Painting etc.

Dr G. Velayudhan is at present financing the educational needs of the

following students in the different course.

1. Girish - Engineering

2. Anoop M. - Engineering

3. Abhilsh M.C. - Engineering

4. Soumya - MBBS

5. Praveen G.L. - MBBS

6. Prasanth - Tourism & Travel Management

7. Linu S. - Dental College

8. Biju Vijay - Polytechnic

9. Lakshmi - Holy Angels’ Convent School

10. Akhilash - St. Marys School, Pattom

11. Saranya - II Standard

12. Shibu - B.Com

13. Soumya - B.Com

14. Vidya - Plus Two

15.Ashmi - M.tech – opto - electronics

16 Akash.S - Plus two

17. Saranya - Plus tw

In addition to all these Dr G. Velayudhan is giving breakfast for 3850, now 10 ,000 (Ten thousand in 32 schools & free medical check up)students in the different schools in Thiruvananthapuram and sub urban areas. Now the doctor has adopted one Govt. Upper Primary School Kumarapuram near G.G. Hospital for providing complete health care and Nutrition of the students. There he is providing complete medical check up, free treatment, counseling for the adolescent and also giving them breakfast and supplementing lunch.

ng member and even if the father is there only a few of them extend their support to the family. Others are addicted to drinking and other vices. The mother may not have permanent job. Most of them go for daily wages. Excepting a few most of them are without job on all days. Thus the good majority of these small children do not get anything to eat in the night also.

If the small children during their fast developing and growing age are denied of food particularly glucose not only they will not be able to learn lessons but they will misbehave and show disobedience and later on they become antisocial elements. Their body build will be poor and growth will be badly retarded and stunted and will be underweight and illnourished. These are the children going to be the future citizens of India who are supposed to steer the country. These children form the majority of the population.

In these circumstances if any body or a

ny Government want to improve the future generation in intelligence as well as in physical health they must look after these children at this younger age. The magnitude of this job is unimaginable and the Government machinery alone will not be able to tackle the problem. Every citizen of India who has least concern about the future of the country must come forward to find out a solution for this.

In the Kumarapuram school we are giving “Idilies with chutney” to each student every day and curries to make their Kanji Noon meal from 2004 August onwards.

The effect of this much of feeding on this young children was well noticeable and greatly encouraging. Therefore the programme was extended to other schools. Now 3850 ( Now10,000 Ten Thousand – 32 schools) students in eight schools get the benefit. The students are getting this benefits only for 20 to 25 days in a month and that too only for 10 months in a year in a school year.

The schools which get breakfast from G

.G . Hospital Trust.

Urban :-

Govt UPS Kumarapuram
Govt UPS Poojapura
Govt UPS Mudavan Mugal
Govt UPS Thrivikramangalam
Govt LPS Padinjare Kotta
Govt LPS Fort Sanskrit
Govt LPS Ponganmoodu
Govt LPS Papanamkode

Suburban

Govt UPS Namam
MSC LPS Kannankode
LMS LPS Kudumbano
or
Govt K V LPS Thalayal Balaramapuram

Rural

Govt LPS Mudipura Nada, Vanganoor
Govt LPS Kottukal Puthalam
DV UPS Thalayal
DVLPS Thalayal
Govt LPS Poonkodu
Govt LPS Kuzhivila
Govt UPS Vanjiyure Attingal
SI UPS Madanvila, Perumathura
Govt UPS Pothankodu
Govt UPS Chandhavila
Govt LPS Thalayal Vembayam
Govt LPS Thotakadu
Govt LPS Aryavilasam Chirayankizu
Govt KV LPS Muloore
Loe 13^th HSS pulluvila poovar
Govt LPS Thonakkal
Diet Attingal (Teachers Training Center )
MG UPS Thottakadu
Govt UPS Srinarayanapuram VadachariKonam
Govt LPS Mele Kadakavour

service

A small resume of his different service activities is given below.

Professional Excellence

Treatment for cervical incompetency

Tubectomy

During the postnatal period the tissue just below the umbilical is found to be very thin. This can be opened through a small nick and through this sterilization can be effected.

Professional Experience

Family Planning

Tubectomy

He popularized Tubectomy, by performing it through 1.5 cm incision at a time it was being done through 15-20 cms incision.

Vasectomy

IUCD

Artificial abortion (MTP)

III. Campaign against Social Evils

He also through press campaigned against social misdeeds and social injustice.

Promotion of Communal Harmony

In the Second riot, Muslims suffered a lot and the people who were accommodated in schools were helped by providing all the utensils (Milk, rice ) . He constantly wrote against it in news papers.

Contributions to the Rural Development