KHM Hospital, Anna Nagar

Dr.A.N. Kalanitthi. MD is a quintessential success in every field that he graced and a man with a true Midas Touch. His impoverished upbringing imbibed the value of education, hard work, and dedication to his clinical practice.He was born in pre-independence India in a typical lower middle-class household in the bylanes of Egmore. His oratory skills and patriotic fervor gave him the privilege and honor of hoisting the Indian National Flag in his school at the time of Independence. His academic brilliance helped him breeze through school, and college with a medical degree with flying colors. His literary pursuits invoked huge praise and appreciation across the nation.He started his clinic at Egmore followed by a bigger setup in Purusaiwalkam. His practice drew crowds in hordes. His love for his patients gained him the epithet “5 Rupee Doctor” for he provided both consultation and medicines for 5 days for the ailment for the same. He went on to build the first multispeciality hospital in the Western suburbs of Chennai KHM Hospital in 1984. He gradually expanded the scope of its services to achieve many firsts in the medical field.His political career was inspired by his love for Periarignar Annadurai and the Self Righteousness Movement of the times. He was pulled into the political whirlpool of the DMK Movement. He was the Go to Man for three decades for the DMK hierarchy because of his insight, depth of knowledge, and ethical and moral high grounds. Most importantly his habit of calling a Spade a Spade endeared him to all politicians across the Political Landscape and made them friends for life despite being foes on the stage.His Career as a Parliamentarian for 10 years made him the darling of the masses. For Central Chennai, he was a friend, mentor, and father figure for life who fought shoulder to shoulder each time they were up against an indomitable challenge. He raked up issues ranging from the water crisis, and labor woes as well to the Ealem turmoil in Parliament. His appreciation by Mrs. Indira Gandhi despite him being an Opposition MP, his contribution to the Standing Committees, and his US Sojourn as a State Representative were the highlights of his illustrious political life.KHM Hospital as its stands today is a testimony of the values that he stood for all his life. All his life, he cared only about patients, forgot his role as an administrator and proprietor of the hospital often, and steadfastly remained a patient’s advocate. His involvement with patient care even for patients admitted for other medical conditions would be much to the chagrin of other specialists. He stood as a defiant pillar against the corporatization of medicine. He used all his might to fight the demon of referral-based practice. He felt nauseated at the concept of marketing in Hospital setup and resisted all efforts to create industry tie-ups to promote revenue generation. He also empathized with Pharma Representatives and always stood up against the tentacles of Big Pharma.