Manamadurai MLA earns praise as wife delivers in government hospital

MADURAI: There has been much joy in the household of AIADMK’s Mana madurai MLA S Nagarajan in the past few weeks ever since he became the proud father of a baby boy, that too after 16 years of marriage. However, it was in the past 24 hours that congratulations began pouring in after word got out that he and his wife had relied on a government hospital for the checkups and delivery.

Practising what one preaches is no small achievement especially when most politicians, including ministers, who speak highly of government hospitals prefer to be treated at private hospitals when they fall sick. No wonder then that people from across the state have been calling him and wishing him on the birth of his son, and lauding him for being a role model.

Nagarajan, 49, from Keelanettur in Sivaganga , had married his sister’s daughter Sivashankari in 2003. His election victory was virtually crowned by his wife’s pregnancy last year, after 16 years of marriage. Shivashankari went for her routine check-ups to the Muthanendhal primary health centre in his constituency while a scan was performed at the Manamadurai government hospital.

As doctors told them that she would have to undergo a caesarean section, they decided to get it done at the Sivaganga Government Hospital. “We have the most skilled doctors at the government hospitals and the government has equipped our hospitals well, so there was no second thought . I did not doubt my decision even for a second,’’ said Nagarajan.

Their son was delivered on July 9 along with 349 other children at the government hospital and she was discharged a week ago. She says she had trusted her husband’s decision and her family had also supported them. “The entire treatment procedure gave us confidence to have the delivery at the Sivaganga GH,’’ they said.