The people’s doctor Dr. S Jayachandran passed away in North Chennai after some lung problems. Dr. S. Jayachandran was popularly known as “Makkal Maruthuvar” it means people’s doctor.
He charged a consultation fee of ₹2 which equals to about US 3 cents.
After hearing his demise a sea of people gathered at his home to pay homage.
Dr. Jayachandran studied medicine from Madras Medical College and began practicing in the 1970’s. He initially worked at a hospital, later shifted to a clinic and then finally moved to practicing at his home.
During his early days he charged a nominal fee of ₹ 0.25 (that’s 1/3rd of a cent) . Jayachandran always worked for the weaker sections of the society.
He never accepted any donations, he asked donors to buy medicines instead so that he could give them to his patients for free.
Dr. Jayachandran was recognized for his selfless service and was a recipient of many awards. He received the Knighthood Award in 2008 by Grand Magistry of Knights of Charity of St. John Jerusalem, a Lifetime achievement award by Dr MGR Medical University in 2012, and a Doctors Day Award for the years 2005, 2006 and 2009 from Indian Medical Association.
The man was also nominated for India’s prestigious Padma Shri awards in 2016.
Jayachandran served humanity for over 45 years and conducted more than 3000 health camps in his lifetime.