With HMPV looming over us, I wonder—are we on the brink of another Covid-like hysteria? Act 1: Fear Takes Center Stage Fear of the unknown. The reflex to overreact. Every cough and sneeze under a microscope.Labs mushrooming everywhere. Machines humming. Pockets emptying. And panic rising. Act 2: Media Circus One pneumonia case hits the headlines. …
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Hospital
Beyond the hospital
“So, tomorrow you’re going home?” I asked gently, turning to my patient—a 48-year-old woman fighting advanced breast cancer. The disease had spread to her liver and abdomen, leading to fluid buildup, and she had been admitted for an abdominal tap and basic blood work. Now, she was eager to return home. She was frail, her …
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵: 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹
In the scorching summer of 1975, my elder sister, then in her 30s, fell seriously ill. Dissatisfied with the medical care she was receiving in Bhopal, we quickly moved her to Wardha, where my parents lived. Kasturba Hospital in Sevagram was still in its early stages back then. 𝗗𝗿. (𝗠𝘀) 𝗣. 𝗡𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗿, an Obstetrics and …
Mahatma Gandhi’s Emergency Appendectomy: An Interesting Tale
Mahatma Gandhi’s Emergency Appendectomy: An Interesting Tale On January 12, 1924, Mahatma Gandhi underwent an emergency appendectomy at Sassoon Hospital in Pune. The story behind his operation is quite interesting. On January 8, 1924, Gandhiji experienced fever, abdominal pain, and nausea while in Yerawada jail. He was released and admitted to the Sassoon General Hospital …
Beyond Coffee: Uncovering the Charm of Sevagram’s India Coffee House
Have you had the pleasure of trying Domelette? It’s a delectable creation—an omelette perched atop a dosa. This delectable dish was quite popular amongst MGIMS medical students who craved something novel yet affordable and filling. In the golden days of the 70s and the 80s, it’s just one of the many mouthwatering delights you could …
Anaesthesiology
Unbelievable, but true. Robert Liston, a Scottish surgeon (1784-1847) practised orthopaedic surgery all over Britain. He obtained specialisation in amputations, practising in an era when anaesthesia was in infancy. Cutting and sawing on a conscious, screaming patient took strong nerves and a strong stomach. The shorter the operation, Liston thought, the lesser the pain the …
Super specialists
When I began practising Medicine at MGIMS, whenever I ran into a medical problem, which I thought I could not solve, I would seek a super specialist’s help. This indeed made sense. After all, their years of training and rich experience would help me order the best test, choose the drug that works or pick …
Information and Communication technology in Medicine
My talk in Pune…
iPad at the point of care
Smartphones and iPads are the future of medicine. In 2004 we introduced hospital information system in our teaching hospital. We realized that one day, we shall move from the desktops to the laptops, and subsequently to iPads and smartphones. Digital technology, to be effective, needs to be at the point of care. It cannot distance …
Violence in hospitals
Last week, a 50 year old previously healthy man died in our hospital following a massive stroke. The computed tomography scan showed that he had bled deep within his brain, the blood not letting the brain perform its functions. Death, especially sudden, evokes a medley of emotions- shock, denial, accusation, frustration, anger and grief. Not …