SP Kalantri

Hospital

HMPV: A Déjà Vu or a New Chapter?

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. …

MGIMS Palliative Care

How much time do I have?

“How much time do I have now?” His voice on the phone was calm, almost casual. We had discussed the sudden cold wave, his family, his niece’s recent grand wedding, Jasprit Bumrah’s lethal bowling—everything except his illness. Then, out of the blue, he asked that question. It’s a question I hear often. Families ask it …

Palliative Care Sevagram

The Middle Path

For decades after completing my MD residency and becoming a physician, I held firm to a belief: diagnose accurately, treat effectively, monitor diligently, and ensure that patients followed my advice. This was the creed I practiced in OPDs, wards, ICUs, and even during cross-department consultations in the hospital. And it worked. Most of the time. …

Cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin

“One should retire when people ask why, not when they ask why not.” These wise words from Vijay Merchant, a brilliant Test batsman and a keen reader of the game, still ring true today. Ravichandran Ashwin’s decision to hang up his boots suddenly and fly back to Chennai has left everyone in shock. Why did …

Hospital Palliative Care

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 …

Cricket

One should retire, when

𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝘄𝗶𝗻 has decided to hang up his boots today. It’s a bittersweet moment. I still vividly remember his debut Test against the West Indies. Wasn’t it in 2011? He got out for a duck in his first inning, but it didn’t take long for him to prove he was no ordinary cricketer. Six wickets …

MGIMS Palliative Care Sevagram

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘆𝗲

Recently, we cared for a frail man in his late fifties. He came in gasping for air. His heart raced, and each breath was a challenge. His lungs crackled with every inhale. Both his face and feet were swollen. The ECG was very abnormal, and the chest X-ray showed fluid in his lungs. When he …