This blog post has been long due—partly because life has become extremely hectic off late with work, family, and kids, and partly because of a lack of motivation to put those emotions into words… until life sent me on a forced short vacation—being admitted to the same hospital where I work, with an infection and its small complication (which could have gotten much worse).
Maybe it’s the beautiful Mumbai weather today, with light rain and the energetic Ganpati dhols playing below… maybe it’s the serene view of the Arabian Sea and the sailing ships from my room window… maybe it’s because I’m feeling emotional after so many colleagues personally came to wish me a speedy recovery over the last three days… maybe it’s because I’m overwhelmed with the firsthand experience of the extraordinary level of clinical care in the ward… or maybe it’s just the Meropenem and other drugs kicking in.
Whatever the reason, I didn’t want to miss the chance today to capture the flow of my thoughts—to be grateful for life, and thankful to God for everything.
I just completed four years with Gleneagles Hospital on 1st August this year. The move in 2021 was surely sudden and drastic—from a 24-bedded department with a team of 60, to a much smaller 6-bedded department and a team of 20. But it wasn’t a difficult decision, especially after spending many days in the ICU due to COVID and sepsis. Fast forward four years, and I realize it was all part of God’s bigger, more beautiful plan.
Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” And I still feel the same love for Emergency Medicine that I did 15 years ago. I may be confined to my room now as a patient, but I still wish I could go down to the A&E and be amidst the action—managing patients. Call it passion, call it craziness, or call it obsession!
Looking back, what a journey it has been with Gleneagles Hospital—having the independence to personally introduce so many new forms in the department and hospital, defining new SOPs, clinical protocols, audits, and quality parameters, building a new team every time medical officers left, raising the quality bar, conducting trainings, mentoring juniors, organizing CMEs, awareness talks, and workshops, arranging departmental treats, hospital meetings (often being very vocal and blunt, without sugarcoating), being part of committees, managing complex emergencies, upgrading to a bigger 10-bedded department, achieving NABH Emergency certification, NABH accreditation, JCI accreditation, NABH Stroke certification, fostering strong friendships with fellow consultants, enjoying parties, on-stage singing and guitar performances, winning sports events, increasing revenue—the list goes on, but all feels as fresh as if it happened yesterday.
I believe I’ve been successful so far in my constant quest to save and touch many lives. I sleep in peace every night, satisfied that I’ve put everything I learned over 15 years into my department and for my patients. (Sometimes while managing difficult emergencies, I almost feel like Neo from The Matrix—fighting Agent Smith in slow motion after realizing he is The One).
Looking forward to many more years of growing with this organization, treating my patients, learning, setting higher benchmarks—and maybe, just maybe, being a little less obsessed with work… until I resume soon.
