किताब में पढा और अनुभव से जुडा - The Journey of Dr. Amit Patidar

“I believe transforming healthcare in India was the real objective of Jawaharlal Nehru’s decision to establish AIIMS. Being an alumnus of AIIMS, I feel responsible to tread in the same direction and make healthcare accessible to the needy sections of the society”, says Dr. Amit Patidar. Having completed his MS Surgery from AIIMS Delhi, Amit is currently working as a Senior Resident – Surgery, at SEARCH, Gadchiroli.

Being a curious individual since his childhood days in Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh), an academically bright Amit was initially interested in Physics. However, his mother being a biology teacher coupled with the conventional expectations of bright students becoming doctors, ultimately lead him to choose medical sciences over Physics. “I was very happy to join AIIMS Rishikesh for my MBBS. Though not Physics, but my curiosity and love for science made me excited to explore the medical sciences”, adds Amit ecstatically.

Pursuing medical education was, however, a mixed experience for Amit. While he took it upon himself to meticulously understand the subjects in his academics, he seldom saw the same excitement amongst others around him. “I think that excessive emphasis on just mugging up subjects due to fierce competition and not understanding them sufficiently lead to the loss of actual patient care”, laments Amit.

As he approached towards the completion of his MBBS, Amit was inclined towards choosing a ‘surgical’ branch for his further studies. Explaining his interest in surgery, Amit explains - “My love towards how human body is formed (Embryology) sparked my interest in Anatomy. Further, my subsequent interest in pathology and clinical science made surgery the right blend for me.”

Post the completion of his MBBS from AIIMS Rishikesh, Amit prepared for his Post-Graduation with a target of ‘surgical branch’ in his mind. He was able to join JIPMER, Puducherry, for his Post Graduation, choosing the ENT branch. However, an internal struggle awaited him as he kicked off his studies in JIPMER. Not able to align himself with the work culture and simultaneously regretting his initial aim of choosing ‘Surgery’ as his branch, Amit had a tough decision to make. He recalls his phase then – “The conventional choice would have been to stay in JIPMER which is a reputed medical institute and get used to the branch I had opted. My peers too opined the same. Moreover, it was a challenge to prepare again and patiently wait for the branch I wished to get into. However, I just didn’t want to live with any regret or make any compromises. I believed in myself and that propelled me to leave JIPMER and start preparing again.”

Patient with himself and determined in his efforts, Amit prepared yet again. His persistence ultimately lead him to join the ‘Surgery’ branch in AIIMS Delhi. Relieved and excited at the same time, he looked forward, not just to stick to his academics, but also to understand the social reality of his patients. “Though I had certain academic accomplishments, I hadn’t enquired into meaningful work and hadn’t explored my work beyond doctor-patient relationship. While I had received abundant professional stimulation, I hadn’t received sufficient social stimulation. I made up my mind to explore these domains during the course of my PG”, Amit states.

It was around the same time when he was introduced to the NIRMAN initiative. Waiting for an opportunity to understand the social reality of his patients, Amit received the social stimulation he required from NIRMAN. “NIRMAN’s application form helped me to put on paper my thoughts regarding the social domain of my life. I was able to conceptualize my vague thoughts and it proved to be of tremendous importance. My ideas about society were like saplings which later grew into ‘flourishing plants’ as I moved forward through the NIRMAN process!” Amit exclaims as he recollects his NIRMAN journey. NIRMAN workshop experience further helped him to clear his self-doubts, understand the moral basis behind his urge to know social reality as well as to realize that even with ‘Surgery’ as his branch, he can bring about impactful social change.

While the learnings he received from the NIRMAN process were stimulating, Amit made his own efforts to take them a step forward. He was fascinated by the book of Leon Gordis (American Epidemiologist) during his MBBS, which introduced him to some great examples of public health heroes and studies. He, then went on a spree to read more about social issues post NIRMAN process, during which he came across an article regarding the surgical burden in rural India. A jolt of excitement reflects on his face as he remembers the article – “I understood that surgery too is essential and required in rural India. More than complicated surgeries, I realized that focusing on the basic surgical procedures itself can save a large number of lives.”

But, Amit is amongst those who aren’t satisfied at the prospect of only knowing things. While he had gathered knowledge through his readings, he wished to himself experience the actual challenges in rural areas. Unfolding his rationale he explains – “Everyone coming to institutions like AIIMS for treatment is neither practical nor preferable. But, the idea of surgical procedures in rural areas come with the challenge of lack of resources. I wanted to experience those challenges. I wanted to experience how surgeries are actually conducted in a rural set-up.”

With his intention to experience the surgical issues in rural India, Amit started looking for potential opportunities. Knowing about the opportunity at SEARCH, Gadchiroli, he readily applied for the same, was selected and joined in July 2023. Now, into the seventh month of his tenure, he is glad for joining SEARCH – “At SEARCH, I am actually doing what I want to. It is unique that hundreds of surgeries are done in a rural set-up catering to the needs of a large number of people. Having taken the responsibility of surgeries, my own skill too is going under constant upgradation.”

Amit has a larger social dream to make surgery an integral part of India’s public health. He intends to develop sustainable systems where surgery is accessible to all who need it. One can quickly notice the righteous anger simmering on his face as he speaks about the inequality in healthcare – “People in rural areas have a different reality of living with pain or dying due to inaccessible healthcare. At present 80 per cent of people in the world don’t have access to basic surgical procedure and ironically, majority of focus in surgical field is on advancements like Artificial Intelligence and robotics which make surgery even more inaccessible.”

To conclude, Amit suggests the youth to engage with social problems. He believes that will help them to remain grounded. Amit concludes, “Experiencing the problems first-hand exposed me to a different social reality, helping me to become sensitive towards patients and deepen my understanding of their problems."