Serving free food on hartal day 

 A mother and child awaits their turn for free lunch that is being supplied on hartal day at the Mother and Child Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Photo: Meedhu Miriyam Joseph 

 

Every hartal day, they serve free breakfast and lunch to the people who reach Women and Children Hospital, Thycaud, here. On Saturday, it was no different. M. Premkumar and his friends served upma and sadya to nearly 1,000 people at the hospital.

The hospital authorities put up information on the notice board about the hartal feast. A sample of the food prepared was taken to the Resident Medical Officer and the senior staff. The food was served only after the sample underwent lab tests. It was during a visit to the hospital on a hartal day that Mr. Premkumar saw women finding it difficult to get food, especially as there was no transportation available. From the next hartal, Mr. Premkumar and his friends began serving food from a makeshift shed at the hospital.

Now, the team wants to take up another initiative — helping blood donors and seekers connect with each other.

“Visiting a number of people in hospitals, we came across many instances where patients were having a tough time looking for blood donors. That was when we decided to maintain a blood donor directory so that we could seek timely help.