Who Is Doctor Teddy Bear

A winner of the inaugural Star Golden Hearts award, Dr S. Madhusudhan, has been providing free medical check-ups for the homeless, the urban poor and the needy for over a year, first with the Kechara Soup Kitchen and now through his own weekly clinic.

As the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur slowly died down one Wednesday night, a group of people lined up along Jalan Hang Lekiu. The five-foot paths of Kuala Lumpur are their homes, and that night they were expecting a visit from the “street doctor”. He was nicknamed the teddy bear doctor by the street children who often received a teddy bear from him.

Dr Madhusudhan started the Teddy Mobile Clinic in September. The clinic on Wednesdays started with 10 volunteers. Initially, Dr Madhusudhan was the only doctor available, but the number slowly grew and his brother Dr S. Krishna and their pharmacist sister S. Sudheshna pitched in as well.

Thanks to social media and friends, today they have some 30 volunteers and six doctors as well as several pharmacists, allowing them to set up in two other locations, Masjid Negara and Jalan Tun H.S. Lee (in front of Bangkok Bank). They typically treat 30 to 40 patients every Wednesday.

Initially, Dr Madhusudhan bore the costs for the medicine and other necessities, but as word spread, kind donors began dropping off supplies at the locations or at his private practice, Klinik Yap and Looi, in Cheras. His clinic also acts as a food bank for people to drop off food, clothes and other essentials, as well as a medical centre for the poor and homeless to seek immediate medical treatment.

Dr Madhusudhan began his social service in 2008 after completing his medical studies.
He began by dedicating his time to several orphanages and old folks’ homes in the Klang Valley through the Genie Foundation.