MK Stalin was very encouraging, says Divya Sathyaraj

With elections to Lok Sabha round the corner, a picture of Divya Sathyaraj, popular nutritionist and daughter of ace actor Sathyaraj alongside DMK chief MK Stalin went viral on social media which led to speculation of her joining the party.

Divya is a leading nutritionist in South India who had written a letter to PM Narendra Modi about malpractices in medicine some time ago. She had also expressed her concern about health and nutrition of people in Tamil Nadu and her interest in politics in an earlier interview. When DC contacted Divya, she clarified that it was an informal meeting with Stalin and they never discussed politics.  

She said, “Our families have been friends ever since my father acted in Kalaignar Sir’s direction. It was an informal meeting...I spoke to him about my career as a nutritionist and the projects that I am planning to improve health and nutrition of children in Tamil Nadu, Stalin sir was very encouraging, I have a lot of respect for Stalin sir and his journey as a politician. I would like to emphasise on the fact that politics was not discussed in this meeting”.

Asked what are the changes that she would like to see in the health sector of Tamil Nadu, Divya said,“There is a lot of scope for improvement in the health sector...pregnant women in the  lower income group are suffering from severe iron deficiency, 2 out of 5 women have iron deficiency anaemia, government hospitals should have a team of doctors to monitor their health and provide vitamin and iron supplements, operation theatres and corridors in hospitals are not cleaned on a regular basis, since patients have low immunity and are susceptible to infections it is important to maintain hygiene.”

She went on to add, “It was also upsetting to hear that most hospitals do not stock enough blankets and pillows and patients had to bribe staff to get pillows and blankets. The authorities should also make sure that there is an adequate supply of vaccines of acceptable quality for effective immunisation. I also believe there has to be a system to make sure that pharmacies do not stock medicines that have expired. Very few people check the expiry date before buying products - not just medicines, we should check the expiry date of every single product we buy including snacks, coffee, tea etc.

“For people who have children at home it is extremely important to check the expiry date before buying products...private school canteens should make a conscious effort to have healthy snack options instead of cakes, samosas and puffs,” she concluded.