Amid the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, a 65-year-old Tamil Nadu man gives us a glimpse of persistence. A farm labourer, Arivazhagan, peddled 140 kms on a bicycle, taking his cancer afflicted wife from his village Kumbakonam to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry, for her treatment.

Due to the unavailability of transport and unaffordability of private cabs, Arivazhagan started the journey with his 60-year old wife Manjula on March 30 and reached on the due time of her third Chemotherapy session, scheduled for March 31 at the regional centre of JIPMER. Medical staff at JIPMER lauded Arivazhagan for his intrepidity of bringing his wife for her treatment, despite the brewing conditions.

He started at 4:45 am and reached JIPMER at 10:15 pm. When asked as to why he did not prefer treating his wife in the government hospitals near his village, Arivazhagan said the treatment he received there was not appropriate and brought Manjula to JIPMER. The hospital arranged an ambulance to drop the couple back to their village, also providing them with necessary medications.

The couple is not covered under the Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme or under the Central government’s healthcare scheme, and hence had to put all his daily wages’ savings for his wife’s treatment.

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