When we first laid the foundation for Thangam, it wasn’t just the beginning of a hospital—it was the start of a lifelong commitment. My wife, Dr. Malliga, and I dreamed of creating a place where compassion and clinical excellence would walk hand in hand, no matter who walked through our doors.

From the very beginning our aim was never merely to build another hospital –  it was to create a place where people facing their toughest days would find expert care, honest guidance and human warmth. Every ward, protocol and hire at Thangam was chosen with that purpose in mind: to combine cutting-edge treatment with bedside compassion so patients and families feel both confident and cared for. That commitment shaped how we worked in those early years and still guides every decision today – from who we recruit to the services we add – and it’s why I still remember the long nights, the urgent calls at dawn, and the small acts of care that taught us what this hospital truly means.

Even the simplest acts of care came with sacrifice. In those early years, patients suffering from severe liver abscesses—a result of chronic alcohol consumption in this belt—would come to me when others had turned them away. Often, at 11 PM, after a long day’s work, I’d drain their infections with a syringe and catheter, alone and undisturbed, so I could give them my full attention. Alone in the procedure room, I’d insert a catheter and slowly draw out the pus with a syringe. The stench was overwhelming—so much so that I’d skip dinner just to keep from vomiting. But I kept doing it, night after night, because someone had to. Because they mattered.

Back then, our hospital phone would start ringing at 4 AM. People would call to fix appointments for the day. We didn’t have layers of administration or automated systems—just raw need and our unwavering will to serve it. That’s the spirit on which Thangam was built.

Today, we have grown in size, strength, and stature. But that same spirit—the one that puts the patient at the heart of everything—still guides every decision we make. Thangam is not just a cancer center; it is a place of dignity, courage, and relentless care. We stand for every patient who has felt overlooked. For every family who needed someone to say, ‘You are not alone.’

We built Thangam not for recognition, but for purpose. And that purpose will always remain.

Warm regards,