Obstacles converted to opportunity

There were a lot of obstacles while working in Melghat since beginning. But now I think, these obstacles are not hurdles in the road but a challenge to test and prove ourselves. The life is like a river. The river is more beautiful when it flows through mountains,valleys,falls,etc.

In 1998, I resigned from the post of lecturer in the department of Medicine of
M.G.I.M.S. Sevagram and registered a voluntary organization named MAHAN and started hospital in Melghat. In the beginning, there was no financial support from anybody. While during post-graduation and lecturer ship in Medical college, I was living a simple life due to which I could save around Rs.1,00,000 . I used that money for running hospital in Melghat. After 4 months, honorable Dr.Sushila Nayar who was the great supporter of the project provided financial support and since then MAHAN is running this project with the partnership Kasturba Health Society, Sevagram.

For the last 20 years (since 1998), not a single new M.B.B.S. doctor started non
governmental hospital in Dharni. So most of the people could not believe that I can be a M.B.B.S.,M.D.doctor. We started our OPD in a hut at Kolupur and then hospital in a small (four rooms) rented house in Dharni. It was used for out patient department and for indoor patients. In the same house, patients use to vomit etc. and just nearby to it, was my dinning room and bed room. When I was in Government Medical College, Nagpur, I was habitual of working in a big hospital. But in Melghat, while treating the serious patients of brain hemorrhage, heart attack, etc., we faced lot of problems in the same small hospital. But I could manage successfully lot of serious patients.

Followings are few incidences worth mentioning it-

Critical Care Management

A}                    Once, at around 12 midnight a patient of serious heart attack was admitted in government hospital. As there was not a single physician, I was called to treat that patient. I had carried one E.C.G. machine,injection Streptokinase and unqualified attendant along with me. There was no cardiac monitor or defibrillator. It  was my first experience to treat such patient in Dharni with such minimum facilities. If I treat the patient and if he succumbs, then people will not believe me and I might have to leave Dharni. But then I realized that, if I treat that patient, there is 90% chance that he will survive. But if not treated, there is 100% chance of death.  So my strong will power forced me to start the treatment.  I was treating that patient until 4  a.m. . The patient was out of danger at around 4  a.m. and I was relaxed.

But after then, till now, I have successfully treated more than 800 serious patients with whatever available infrastructure .

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B}                    Once a fifty years old male patient of brain hemorrhage (7cm in parietal lobe and 1cm in Thalamus) was admitted in comatose condition in our small hospital. He was advised by doctors from Amaravati & Indore that he could not be saved and hence should not be hospitalized. For 7 days, I was treating the patient in my hospital with available equipment. I was assisted by one 9^th standard passed local male. 30 to 40 people were accompanying patient on daily basis. That was mounitng pressure.  On 8^th day, that patient started walking and I was relaxed. From that day, people realized that I am a good qualified doctor and I got acceptance & publicity in Melghat.

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C}                    I do remember a story of 5 years young girl patient suffering from  cerebral malaria with coma with decerebrate posture with convulsions. There was no pediatrician in surrounding locality. Myself not being a pediatrician, thought a  lot, whether to treat her or not.  But if I do not treat her, she will not survive at all.  Hence ,I decided to use my all knowledge and courage to treat the child and could successfully save her. It increased my confidence that I can manage serious children also though I am not a pediatrician.

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Sometimes I am also surprised that, I could have successfully managed serious patients in such difficult circumstances.