Doing away with MD thesis

I must admit that I, too, was—and still am—a medical teacher who guided—or is misguided the more appropriate word?—over three dozen postgraduates in writing their MD theses. I do not wish to stand on a pedestal or adopt a “holier than thou” posture. I have erred, misjudged, behaved badly, mishandled situations, and at times, been … Read more

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀

In 1973, at the age of 17, I enrolled at Government Medical College Nagpur as a medical student. During weekends, Suhas Jajoo and I frequently commuted between Wardha, where our parents lived, and Nagpur, where our college was located. Our mode of travel? The third-class train compartments. Those berths were made of hard, bare wood, … Read more

Covid and Community Transmission

I see three challenges ahead vis-à-vis COVID-19 in India’s rural areas. First, many rural healthcare workers are exhausted and burned out. Second, lifestyle diseases like diabetes, high blood-pressure and heart problems have become more common in rural India in the last decade or so. Third, officials and healthcare workers have to contend with the spectre … Read more