This month we feature Dr Amudha Hari, who completed her MBBS in Stanley Medical College, her DGO in IOG, followed the PhD in MGR Medical University.

She is the recipient of Life time achievement award in 2007 from Government of Tamil Nadu for having helped over 500 HIV +ve women deliver perfectly healthy babies over the last 15 years.

She was a state department invitee as a health care leader which had representatives from 27 countries.

She was a recipient of the award which was a tribute to women who have made a vital difference to society, by ‘Women Exxluzzive', a monthly magazine, who honoured 10 prominent personalities in various fields than spanned the arts, business and medicine, for excellence in their profession recently.

Her area of special interest being Laparoscopic Gynecology.

You have been one of the pioneers working on helping HIV+ve Women.How did it begin?

When I first started work I did not have any special motivation or drive to commit myself to HIV+ve Women.

How did you continue work on the HIV+ve patients if you did not have any special urge or inclination to do so?

A young girl from an affluent family well educated, spirited, five months pregnant, tested +ve came to me for consultation, after being turned down by her Gynecologist.

She seemed shattered and asked me one question, ‘Why am I being turned down for no fault of mine?’, she sensed that I did not want to take her as my patient.

Her question was a real eye opener to me. This happened way back in 1992. There has been no looking back after that.

How did your family and your associates view your work initially? Where they supportive?

Back in the 1990s, when I started helping HIV +ve women deliver, there was just fear, even among health professionals. I was coughing non-stop for nearly three months after I did the first c-section. I was so afraid that when I went to receive my medical test, I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

That is when I got to understand the trauma people went through even while going in for testing.

Today, we have a very high awareness on how HIV spreads and the precautions we need to take, but many city hospitals still find ways to say no to persons seeking treatment.

Lifeline Hospital has set up an exclusive theatre at Kilpauk, to operate upon HIV+VE Patients.

Dr J S Rajkumar, has helped me in more than 200 cases as his other area of interest apart from Gastroenterology is Lap.Gynecology.

Is there anything you wish to share with the readers?

After working with HIV+ve women I have evolved as a person. I have become more socially inclined. It gives me utmost satisfaction to help these women who are all the victims of circumstance.

I have formed a trust named Mithra Foundations, to help the +ve Women.
These women are indeed POSITIVE IN THE REAL SPIRIT, who are resilient and remarkably reconcile to what has happened to them.