I was brought into this world by the hands of Lady Dr. Chatterjee in 1961. Her name stands proudly on the display board in Indian medical association Hall Dehradun, along with Dr Bhupal Singh the founder of IMA Dehradun, Dr. Mitra Nand, and Dr Durga Prasad. Dr Bhupal Singh was from Meerut city and the Indian medical association building in Meerut is named ad Dr Bhupal Singh Building. Dr Bhupal singh was also associated with building of IMA Dehradun branch.

Doctors were venerated commodities at that time and got Much respect, nice fee and expensive gifts like gold chains as a token of regard if the outcome was favorable. As I said, In British times in colonial India and in the early post-independent years’ doctors were a rare commodity and became part of folk- lore. In ‘A passage to India’, you can see doctors behaving as equals with district magistrates and city police chiefs. Dr Durga Prasad used to live in Mussoorie and visit patients in Dehradun for an astronomical fee of Rupee five. Not much is known about Dr. Chatterjee, Dr. Bhupal, Dr. Durga Prasad, and Dr Mitra Nand. Those were early days.

Dr Maini

The Early physician I remember was Major Dr. Hari Singh Maini. He was a burly Sikh and stood tall and erect. He once prescribed urine culture and sensitivity to one person. Those days urine culture was available at only Military hospital Dehradun and I remember it took quite a resourcefulness to get it done from there. He had his residence and clinic near MKP Chowk at the place Dr. Rakesh Khanduri practiced and later Arogyadham was established.
If you have read ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ or seen it on Netflix you would know that the colonial Dehradun had a large prisoner-of war camp for enemy countries of the British. During the Second World War the Dehra Dun Central Internment Camp was a major prison camp for detained German, Austrian and Italians who were living in or visiting British colonies in Asia at the start of the war. Its most famous inmate was perhaps Heinrich Harrer, who after several attempts finally escaped in 1944 with Peter Aufschnaiter and slipped over the mountains into neutral Tibet. He recounted his time at the camp in Seven years in Tibet (Rupert Hart-Davis, 1953) and Beyond seven years in Tibet: my life before, during and after. Several German Buddhist monks, including Nyanatiloka, also stayed here. The camp was divided into different sections, one for Germans loyal to the Nazi government, one for German communists and others who rejected the Nazi government, one for Italians, and one section for Italian Catholic clergy.
Likewise our very own Dr HariSingh Miani was a prisoner of war of Axis forces lead by Japanese. He was a known physician. He was an unknown war hero. The people of Dehra Dun, during the 1970s and 80s, knew him as the grey-haired Sikh physician. What they did not know was that Major Dr Hari Singh Maini was a war hero. The brave heart lay buried in the physician for decades, only to be unearthed from his diaries 20 years after his death. Maini’s diaries shed light on the lives of Indian soldiers during World War II. The memoir tells us how the Indian soldiers mobilized and transported to Southeast Asia fought, survived or perished.

A burly Sikh from Abbottabad in North West Frontier Province, Maini was a successful physician in the sleepy town. World War II disrupted his family life in 1939. “Perhaps it was the lure of glittering stars on the shoulders that made me join the army,” he writes. He joined as a physician in the Indian Army Reserve of Officers in April 1940 at Abbottabad. In December he was appointed Commanding Officer of No.1 Indian Convalescence Depot at Rawalpindi.

The diaries talk of the gathering war clouds, as Japanese belligerence challenged Pax Britannica in Asia. The war was yet to break out in Southeast Asia. Maini and his compatriots at Rawalpindi were ordered to board a train to an “unknown destination” on April 6, 1941. It turned out to be Madras, where the entire unit was put on a ship called Tahua. After 48 hours, they were told that the Tahua was headed for Penang, Malaya.

At Penang, the Indian soldiers were stationed at No. 7 Mixed Reinforcement Camp, also known as the ‘Graveyard’ as it was close to a graveyard. Maini’s work included setting up a clinic for the wounded. “The war was declared on August 12, 1941 and we were not fully prepared,” he writes. On that day, Japanese aircraft bombed Singapore and launched a determined push into Malaya. Maini describes the first day of the war as the “unforeseen day” of his life. The Graveyard was to fall soon.

“On the night between February 10 and 11, 1942, there was intensified shelling of the island. This led to a fairly large number of casualties,” Maini writes. As communications broke down, his unit of soldiers and doctors got cut off from the rest of the Allied network. “On February 12, 1942 at 11:30 a.m., we were captured by the Japanese,” he writes.

Maini was now a prisoner of war. The Japanese treated him well, since he was to treat their wounded soldiers. He also had to learn Japanese. “You owe your life to your captor’s humanity and compassion,” he writes. The Japanese allowed Maini to keep his diary but stopped him from writing home. Back home, his wife, Inder Kaur, received two messages of his death. Soon after the Japanese assault on Malaya, the British conveyed a ‘missing in action’ message to Inder. Later, a fellow POW from Penang, who escaped and reached Abbottabad, told her that he saw Maini being shot. But Inder refused to believe either of them.

Maini remained in Japanese custody till September 1945. On being freed, he sent a message to Inder and daughter, Harmohini, through the BBC. On September 13, 1945, the BBC Urdu service aired a message from Maini.

As their ship reached Madras months later, Maini and others dashed to the nearest restaurant only to find that their facial muscles were too stiff to chew proper meals. After a short recovery session in Madras, Maini reached Delhi, where his wife and daughter came to receive him. For a moment, they failed to recognize him. Three and a half years of starvation had transformed Maini into a skeleton of his former self. The family, now reunited, returned to Abbottabad. “Once home, he told us never to waste food,” says Harmohini. “Once I threw away a piece of apple and he recounted for me how POWs would be starved for days to save valuable resources.”

Maini had no pro-Japan sentiments. He never bought the idea that the Japanese would liberate India from the British rule. “He had witnessed Japanese brutalities and saw no Japanese benevolence towards their Asian brethren,” Harmohini says. The diary also mentions Japanese war crimes on PoWs. Contrary to its Asian-friendly image cultivated by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the Japanese indulged in numerous war crimes. They shelled even medical facilities. In February 1942, intensive shelling caused heavy casualty in Maini’s clinic. After they made prisoners of Maini’s unit, the Japanese singled out westerners for quick execution. Maini also saw the Japanese killing local Malays.

Maini returned home, but his Abbottabad clinic was burnt in the fire of Partition. But bad times did not last long, as good news came from London. Maini had been awarded Member of the British Empire for his extraordinary service during war years. But Maini could not collect the medal, as he did not have the money to travel to London. His sons, now settled in North America, are trying to get the medal that must be lying with the British government.

Maini recovered soon from the wounds of the war and the Partition, and left Rawalpindi for the bigger mass of the subcontinent. He did not like Delhi and found the likeness of Abbottabad in Dehra Dun, where he set up a clinic. Maini’s son Baltej Maini, a prominent cardiologist in Boston, preserved his father’s diary and shared it with THE WEEK. Harmohini, who lives in Delhi, feels deeds like her father’s should be highlighted as they help illuminate India’s ties with the outside world better. Thanks to his diaries, Hari Singh Maini is no more Dehra Dun’s grey-haired Sikh physician.

Om Prakash

During seventies Dehra Dun was a quaint and quiet town, the talk of the town was a medical marvel whose reputation preceded him—Dr. OM Prakash. His clinic was situated at cross road, just behind the St.Thomas school. Renowned for his exceptional medical skills and unparalleled ability to heal patients, Dr. OM Prakash was a legend in the field of medicine. However, his brilliance came with a catch: his sharp repartees.
Known for his no-nonsense approach and a tendency to cut through the niceties, Dr. OM Prakash was not your typical bedside manner enthusiast. His abrupt demeanor and curt communication style had earned him a notorious reputation among both patients and colleagues. Despite the remarkable success rate of his treatments, the waiting room outside his office was often filled with hushed whispers of trepidation, as patients braced themselves for the encounter with the brilliant but abrasive doctor.
Dr. OM Prakash’s journey into medicine began in sixties. His academic brilliance and finesse quickly set him apart from his peers, earning him accolades and a trail of success. Patients flocked to him in desperation, seeking the cure that only Dr. OM Prakash seemed capable of providing.
Once inside the spacious square shaped clinic, patients found themselves face to face with a whirlwind of competence. Dr. OM Prakash diagnosed with uncanny accuracy and prescribed treatments that bordered on brilliance. However, this awe often came at the expense of emotional discomfort. Dr. OM Prakash’s interactions were marked by impatience, his words cutting through the air like a surgeon’s scalpel. Small talk and pleasantries were a luxury he could not afford, as his brilliant mind was preoccupied with the complexities of medicines and diagnosis.

Dr Om Prakas was father to DR Manoj Kumar, the celebrated surgeon. He was practicing opposite St. Thomas school at Cross Road and commanded a large clientele always very busy, always surrounded by patients right left and Centre in his busy OPD, he was almost brusque with his patients. Once he was examining a patient of diarrhea who would not tell the frequency of diarrhea, despite repeated questioning. She would say a very large amount of diarrhea to all his questions, which irritated Dr. Om Prakash who blurted out ‘ Large amount my foot, so much large amount that it filled the room and you suffocated and died and you don’t exist so get lost’ much to the amusement of surrounding patients and everyone burst out laughing.

Pandhi

Another iconic physician that I remember in my early days was DR Bhim Sen Pandhi. He was erudite speaker, iconic personality, good clinician, and a celebrated philanthropist. He helped Cheshire home along with Dr Arun Kumar and Dr Kalhan.
Dr Bhim S Pandhi, Dehradun’s celebrated consultant physician, passed away a few years back. He had been ailing for more than a couple of years and was wheelchair-bound for the past few months. His devoted wife of 53 years, Florence, was by his bedside. He was 86. He died in covid times and was cremated at the Nala Pani Cremation grounds in the presence of a large number of friends, well-wishers and admirers. His Mumbai-based son Arun lit the pyre.

Dr Pandhi had completed 52 years of practice as a consultant physician. Only in January 2019, he had celebrated 50 years of his uninterrupted golden practice. Suave and amiable in his disposition, he was equally popular with his patients and peers, alike.

Born on 17 September 1935 to a politician-cum-real estate agent of Mussoorie, Bhim was the youngest of the five siblings, two sisters and three brothers. The oldest was the well-known journalist SP Pandhi, founder-editor of The Himachal Times.

After having completed his schooling from Rama Devi School in Mussoorie and intermediate from Dehradun’s DAV College, Bhim joined the King George’s Medical College, Lucknow, from where he graduated in Medicine in 1958. He did his internship in Boston, USA. Thereafter, he spent nine years in England during which he obtained a Diploma in Child Health (DCH) in 1961 from Glasgow and then passed his membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 1968. It was there that he met his future wife Florence. He could have stayed on in England to practice Medicine but his longing to serve his motherland brought him back to India in 1968. His marriage with Florence was solemnized with much fanfare in November 1968 in Mussoorie.

He was the first postgraduate to start private practice in Dehradun. Dr Pandhi enjoyed the rare distinction of being the first full-time postgraduate to have started private practice in Dehradun and was also the first Fellow in 1985 of the Royal College of Physicians in whole of Northwest India. Further, he was actively involved with various social and professional organizations and Service clubs including the Rotary Club. He was also the recipient of the Fellowship of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Academy of Medical Specialists in 1985 and honorary fellowship of IMA, CGP in 1999.

Additionally, Dr Pandhi held various important positions in the Indian Medical Association and its allied organizations. He was the President of the Indian Medical Association, UP in 1998-99. He was also a member of the central working committee of Indian Medical Association since 1988. He was the founder-president of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics & Association of Physicians of India.

Dr Pandhi, together with some of his colleagues at the Indian Medical Association, was instrumental in setting up a world class Blood Bank in Uttarakhand; the Blood Bank Society was formally registered on 23 April 2003 with Dr Pandhi as its first president. It was due to his efforts that the late Subir Raha, the then C&MD of ONGC, gifted to IMA 1800 square metre of prime land for construction of the Blood Bank. The IMA Blood Bank of Uttarakhand was formally inaugurated on 30 May, 2006. It is today one of the best Blood Banks in the country. Dr Pandhi was also President of the Uttaranchal Blood Bank Society – a state-of-the-art international standard project based in Dehradun. Keeping in view his vast experience, the state government had nominated him President of the Uttaranchal Medical Council. He was also a member of the governing body of Uttaranchal State Medical Faculty.

Dr Pandhi, together with his wife Florence was a keen environmentalist. In fact, Florence, in her own right, is keenly involved in environmental issues. Dr Pandhi had been the Chairman of the IMA Standing Committee for Control of Pollution. He was also the patron of several trusts and societies. Dr Pandhi also wrote for various regional and national newspapers, magazines and medical journals and was also on the editorial boards of some of these journals.

Dr Pandhi was the recipient of several awards such as Pride of Uttaranchal by Doon Citizens’ Council, HN Shivpuri Award at Lucknow in 1997, Technocrats Society of India 1998, Lifetime Achievement Award for services to IMA in 2000 at Kolkata, Dr AP Shukla Memorial Award at Trivandrum and the prestigious National Award for Lifelong Services to Medical Profession at Bhubaneswar in 2004. The Indian Medical Association, Dehradun had declared him as its Bhisham Pitamah and also conferred on the Pandhi couple the Award of the Millennium. He leaves behind sons Ajay and Arun. Ajay lives in Canada and Arun in Mumbai.

Asha

Another icon of early seventies in the city of Dehradun was Dr Asha Rawal. Dehra Dun’s Asha Rawal has been in the Business of ‘Delivering’ Babies for the past 50 years or so.

Below are some snippets of her interview.

“Even though the normal deliveries were important enough, those were mostly done by others. I started with high risk deliveries such as Toxemia, Twins, RH negative patients, Breech Deliveries and Eclampsia cases,” recalls the celebrated gynaecologist. On a rough estimate, even if she delivered 18 babies a month, the total ‘Deliveries’ by now must have exceeded 10,000 children.

EVEN before Asha had formally qualified as a gynecologist, as the fourth and fifth year student and intern at the Queen Mary’s Hospital in Lucknow, she did a large number of ‘Deliveries’. Subsequently, post her marriage, she had gone to Middlesbrough in England where many more responsibilities were given to her that greatly helped build her confidence.

Until late 1960s, there was hardly any private Nursing Home worth its name in Dehra Dun. The doctors here then had no choice but to refer the high-risk patients to Delhi. That was easier said than done. First, one has had to fix an appointment with a specialist in Delhi and make reservations for a Bed in a hospital there and finally arrange for an ambulance together with a medically qualified attendant to accompany the patient.

When she eventually came to Dehra Dun as a full-fledged gynecologist in January 1973, there was hardly any qualified woman doctor barring Dr. Sativa Luthra, who had in 1970 set up Luthra Maternity & Infertility Centre on Chakrata Road.

Fortuitously, Dr. Rawal was also on ONGC’s approved panel, and in that capacity had attended to a large number of Russian wives whose husbands were ‘expatriates on deputation to ONGC’. She also took care of Col. Wahi’s daughter, as also wives of some of its senior directors and officers. Incidentally, she was also on the panels of Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, the State Bank of India, and a few more institutes.

It was then that she and her husband Suraj made a small beginning and set up a Nursing Home on the East Canal Road. Suraj was an ophthalmologist, and Asha, an obstetrician and gynecologist. “We were amongst the pioneers to revolutionize the modernization of healthcare in this region. We introduced what is called, ‘the culture of modern specialized Nursing Homes’ that not only served the elite, but also the poor. I was on the panel of ONGC for more than 25 years. There were then no CMI, Synergy, Max or even the Government Medical College Hospital. Our contribution was duly recognized and appreciated by the then chief minister Harish Rawat, and the governors such as Margaret Alva, Dr. Qureshi and Dr. KK Paul. Our ‘rewards’ were the recognition and the appreciation that we received from hundreds of satisfied patients,” says Asha Rawal with a sense of pride.

Dr. Rawal’s professional journey has largely been a smooth one even though the untimely death in January 1991 of her husband had caused a derailment of sort. It was Suraj who had primarily taken over the responsibility of managing the Rawal Nursing Home, leaving Asha enough of dedicated time to attend to her patients whose number multiplied rapidly. Though his unexpected demise upset her applecart, yet she did not shut the Nursing Home even for a day, and somehow managed to keep it on the track.

Asha Rawal has now completed 50 years as an obstetrician and gynecologist par excellence. She enjoys the unique distinction of having delivered several of Dehra Dun’s residents below the age 50, and is undoubtedly the doyenne of her profession, and enjoys in ample measure the respect of the two generations of her patients. The recognition that she got from her peers in the profession is evident from the fact that she was elected as the first woman president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dehra Dun in 2015. It was, however, not for the first time that Dr. Rawal had headed a professional association. She was earlier in 1998 the president of Gynecology & Obstetrics Society. She had also consecutively held the posts of senior and junior vice presidents of Indian Medical Association.

Her husband was not only a source of inspiration and solace to her but also her soul mate. Thus it was the emotional trauma left by his sudden death that lingered much longer. Her younger daughter was then in class III; she felt emotionally drained and helpless. It were Asha’s father SC Saxena and mother Vimla (now both deceased) who instantly took a life-changing decision in their twilight years and shifted lock, stock, and barrel from their family home in Lucknow to Dehra Dun to become their darling daughter’s emotional anchors.

Dr. Rawal is a woman with a Big heart, and so was her late husband. “Our Nursing Home was doing well enough, but my conscience pricked me whenever I noticed one of my patients counting soiled currency notes and coins to pay the fees. It was obvious that she must have found it hard to raise even that amount. Then one day my husband and I decided to have a Freeday once a week when the patients will not be charged any fees,” recalls Asha with a glint of pride in her eyes. And it has now for the past several years that the Nursing Home has been attracting the needy patients from the underprivileged sections of the society. On an average nearly 30 women suffering from minor and major ailments, and even those requiring surgery avail of the Free Weekly Day.

Today, she works nonstop from 10 a.m. to 3.30 in the afternoon and even beyond that if required. “My greatest satisfaction comes from a job well-done,” she says. No wonder then that she is so very painstaking in attending to the patients, and meticulous in her diagnosis. Dr. Rawal has also been taking a keen interest in the Blood Bank and has organized in the past numerous blood donation camps. She is also the Ambassador of IMA Blood Bank. “I would really love to further expand the scope of the IMA Blood Bank,” she adds.

Asha Rawal is one of the very few medical practitioners endowed with many multifaceted interests. Music has been one of her early passions, and she had religiously learned its intricacies at the Prayag Sangeet Samiti. Though she does not sing any longer, she nonetheless enjoys listening to soulful rendering of ghazals especially those of Shakeel Badayuni and Sahir Ludhianvi. Talat Mehmood too was one of her favourite singers those days. Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, was one of her other foremost passions. And the late Ratna Ramchandani (wife of then the Doon School Headmaster Gulab Ramchandani) was her tutor. And if all these artistic pursuits were not enough, she also dabbled in painting and had become equally adept at it. However, it was her allergy to linseed oil that became a handicap and she had had to give up that interest too.

Surprisingly for a doctor, she is also a qualified Kathak dancer or nearly so. “What would your patients think of you if they see you dancing on the stage?,” her late husband would often ask her. Thus, in a way, her interest in dancing, despite five long years of rigorous training, slowly ebbed and died a natural death. “I have always regretted my inability to be able to perform Kathak dances,” ruefully recalls the doctor who could have become, if fate had willed otherwise, one of the most beautiful danseuses in the country. “Maine apne ghungroo abhi tak sambhal ke rakhey hue hain,” she says wistfully.

But it was God’s choice that I became a doctor, and I am still very passionate about my profession, and would love to die with a stethoscope over my shoulders.

Luthra

Dr M C Luthra was from S N Medical college Agra and immensely helpful to us youngsters. He also Dehradun’s iconic eye-surgeon Dr MC Luthra passed away, in covid times, after a prolonged illness. He was 81. The medical fraternity and former patients have sent in their condolences to the bereaved family.

He had migrated from Pakistan and decided to settle down in Doon. He got his first job with the ONGC and worked with the organisation for the majority of his working years. In his active career MC organized over 200 free eye treatment camps and charitable cataract surgeries running into the thousands. ONGC, which was a flourishing organization, always supported his initiatives, and he brought a lot of new technology and equipment into the organization, especially after he helped set up the state of the art ONGC Hospital in town.

Later, in ’95, he took premature retirement, and around this time, his elder son Dr Gaurav Luthra joined him, after completing his degree from the prestigious Maulana Azad College, a brief stint at AIIMS, and training in Lasik surgery, Retina and Phacoemulsification from abroad. All this was new and involved latest technology, and brought a sleepy little town like Doon, centre-stage. It implied cataract treatment without surgery and no stitches, which was a big thing for this part of the country. This led to the establishment of the by now well-known Drishti Eye Centre, which is credited with having pioneered many niche specialties.
Dr MC Luthra is survived by wife Dr Savita Luthra, sons Gaurav, Saurabh and daughters-in-law Arti, Megha, grandchildren Anshika, Abhijay, Ashrey, Ananta and Aadya.

Arun

Another flamboyant doctor that I remember is Dr Arun Kumar. He came to Dehradun and started his practice in Park Road. His clinical acumen and sense of humor were legendary. He was said to be the son of Salt commissioner of British India and got doubly respected as such.

Peshin

Dr Peshin Nursing Home was equally senior in comparison to Dr Asha Rawals nursing Home. Dr V P Chopra who was the first pathologist of dehradun and a motorcycle enthusiast, used to visit his nursing home daily on his motor cycle, Fatfatee as it was called, a rather loud Java motorcycle from his home on Curzon road to peshin hospital on Saharanpur road, daily, passing our house and did he raise a noise. Dr Peshin nursing home was run by Dr M L Peshin a most handsome Kashmiri doctor surgeon. His house houses an admirable collection of Kashmiri carpets at Saharanpur Road. He has now retired from active practice. His son Sudhir is also practicing in the town.

KJS

Dr KJS Sabharwaal was a class apart. In his early days he used to carry his ECG machine on his scooter, making house calls. Few can match his clinical acumen. So many people have benefitted from his forthright approach, including doctors and common man that it is difficult to recall. He is rightly called a professor.

Alok

Dr Alok Ahuja was my classmate at S N Medical College Agra, a Doon school pass out and a flamboyant person. He has many first contributions in the medical facilities in Dehradun, prominent among them being the first CT scanner, the first MRI Machine, the first real-time PCR machine, etc. He was member of old IMC, New Delhi. He was very vocal in opposing NMC, and excerpts from his interview are published below.
Doctors were governed by IMC Act and the government is now introducing ‘Clinical Establishment Act’. What is the need for such a regulation now?
The Indian Medical Council Act has been a fantastic and has served this country over 70 years. The MCI has two important jobs under the medical act which are quality of medical education and ethics. One must understand that the medical council of India has only recommendation powers of the central government and it cannot take action on its own, it recommends the central government which then approves or rejects it.

1/3rd of the doctors in America are Indians, NHS, Britain and half of the Gulf countries have Indian doctors. Name the country around the world where the Indian doctors have not made their mark. The quality of medical education has been so good that our doctors have gone and taken over every medical service around the world in the last 70 years. I don’t understand what is the complaint on MCI’s education standards for? Yes, there has been deterioration, why? That needs to be judged.

In last 20 years private medical colleges were allowed, the MCI did not allow them the government allowed them, 90 percent of them are owned by politicians, MCI did not give it to them. The regulations have been arm twisted in many ways in the last 20 years. Talking about ethics the MCI needed to do much more than it could but has anyone tried to understand why it could not do it? That was because it did not have any suo motto, even if we find something wrong I cannot take action against him unless I receive a complaint, then also it goes to State Medical Council or the MCI in the Centre. MCI cannot do anything against corporate or private limited companies.

Four years back there was a big case against all those commissions that were caught in radiology centers and the sting was shown on TV, MCI could not act against them because owners were not doctors, owners were businessmen, they do not come under MCI only doctors do. Bureaucrats have decided to put them under license raj and this is the problem in our country, nowhere in the world does it happen like this. In the year 2000, The Clinical Establishment Act was pushed through the back door, while the 2G, 3G scams were going on it was introduced in to the Rajya Sabha without any discussion and passed. Is that fair?

If you look at the healthcare in this country, 80 percent of the healthcare is in the private industry, the government budget is falling, deterioration of every government hospital and every medical college is visible. The private healthcare, the private funding has improved healthcare every year since the last 25 years. I agree that regulations and better governance is required whether it is on pharma, diagnostics, purchase of material, management of doctors, human resource, more medical college seats, everything needs improvements on all fronts. It is time that we really look at our healthcare delivery systems in a positive manner rather than just creating acts, more licences and more inspections.

Why the need to replace MCI with NMC?
We are a democratic country, MCI represents democratically elected members from all over the country, now you want to replace a democratically elected body with a 20 member nominated body. You want to remove democracy and bring NMC where all 20 members are going to be nominated by the government. I think this whole concept is ridiculous.

As you are a practicing pathologist as well, how will Clinical Establishment Act impact pathology labs?
Clinical establishment act will impact healthcare delivery clinical delivery in all forms. Today the problem is that my patients don’t know what will happen when I enter a nursing home. I agree that there needs to be more transparency, more standards but the government is using a wrong method on how to do it. The common man feels cheated because you have not put a star system like in hotels; if it is there he will know what he will get. It is important to maintain the quality standards. The regulations have been made so tough that soon all small nursing homes and small hospitals will finish off.
He has been prophetic in summarizing the downfall of small clinics in India. He is married to Dr. Alka, a radiologist, and has two of springs, Dr Rashi and Jai, both doctors.

Kalhan

Drs. Kalhan and wife Indu came soon thereafter. In fact, Dr. Kalhan who started with a small clinic on the Eucalyptus Road. He there-after built a large hospital on Rajpur road, Dehradun.

Below is a fictionalized biography of Dr. Kalhan, crafted to be engaging and humanized with dialogue, based on the limited details provided. Since no specific information about Dr. Kalhan exists in the provided context or my knowledge base, I’ve created a vivid narrative with plausible details, set in Dehradun, India, to bring his story to life.

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The Healing Vision of Dr. Arvind Kalhan: A Journey from Eucalyptus Road to Rajpur Road

In the heart of Dehradun, nestled beneath the Himalayan foothills, Dr. Arvind Kalhan’s name is synonymous with compassion, resilience, and medical excellence. Born in 1955 in a modest Punjabi family in Dehradun, Arvind’s journey from a small clinic on Eucalyptus Road to founding the renowned Kalhan Hospital on Rajpur Road is a testament to his unwavering dedication to healing.

Early Years and Calling
Arvind Kalhan grew up in a bustling neighborhood where the scent of eucalyptus trees mingled with the chatter of street vendors. His father, a schoolteacher, and his mother, a homemaker, instilled in him a love for learning and service. As a boy, Arvind was fascinated by his family’s physician, Dr. Gupta, whose calm demeanor and ability to ease suffering left a lasting impression.

“I want to be like Dr. Gupta,” young Arvind declared one evening at the dinner table, his eyes bright with purpose. His mother smiled, stirring a pot of dal. “Then study hard, beta. Healing people is a big responsibility.”

Arvind excelled in school, earning a scholarship to King George’s Medical College in Lucknow, where he pursued an MBBS degree. His peers remember him as a quiet but determined student, often found in the library, poring over medical texts. “Arvind was the one who’d explain anatomy to us at midnight,” recalls Dr. Sanjay Mehra, a classmate. “He had this knack for making complex things simple.”

Love and Partnership
In medical school, Arvind met Indu Sharma, a spirited fellow student specializing in pediatrics. Their romance blossomed over late-night study sessions and shared dreams of serving their community. “You’re going to save the world, Arvind,” Indu teased during a coffee break at a roadside dhaba. “Only if you’re by my side,” he replied, his shy smile betraying his sincerity. They married in 1982, a union that would anchor Arvind’s ambitions and amplify his impact.

The Humble Beginnings on Eucalyptus Road
In 1985, Dr. Arvind Kalhan returned to Dehradun and opened a small clinic on Eucalyptus Road, a quiet lane shaded by towering trees. The clinic was modest—a single room with a creaky fan, a wooden desk, and a stethoscope that Arvind treated like a prized possession. Indu joined him, balancing her pediatric practice with raising their two children, Priya and Rohan.

Patients flocked to the clinic, drawn by Arvind’s empathy and skill. “He listened,” says Meena Rawat, a patient from those early days. “I was scared about my son’s fever, but Dr. Kalhan sat with me, explained everything. He even called the next day to check on us.”

“Indu, we’re out of space,” Arvind said one evening in 1990, as they locked up the clinic. Patients were spilling into the corridor, and the couple often worked late into the night. Indu nodded, her eyes gleaming. “We need something bigger, Arvind. Not just a clinic—a hospital where we can do more.”

The Dream of Kalhan Hospital
By the mid-1990s, Dehradun was growing, but quality healthcare lagged. Arvind and Indu envisioned a hospital that combined cutting-edge medicine with affordability. In 1998, after years of saving and securing loans, they broke ground on Rajpur Road, a busy artery in the city. The Kalhan Hospital, a sleek three-story building, opened its doors in 2000 with 50 beds, a state-of-the-art ICU, and specialties ranging from cardiology to pediatrics.

The hospital wasn’t just a building—it was a mission. Arvind insisted on a charity ward for underprivileged patients, a rarity at the time. “Medicine isn’t about money,” he told his staff during the hospital’s inauguration. “It’s about giving people hope.” Indu, overseeing the pediatric wing, ensured every child received care, regardless of their family’s means.

Challenges and Triumphs
The early years were not without struggles. In 2003, a monsoon flood damaged the hospital’s ground floor, forcing Arvind and Indu to work round-the-clock to restore operations. “We can’t let our patients down,” Arvind said, rolling up his sleeves to help clean the wards alongside his staff. His leadership inspired loyalty; many of the original nurses still work at Kalhan Hospital, calling him “Bhaiyya” out of affection.

Under Arvind’s guidance, the hospital expanded to 200 beds by 2010, adding advanced diagnostic labs and a trauma center. He pioneered community health camps, bringing free check-ups to Dehradun’s rural outskirts. “Why should healthcare stop at the city limits?” he asked during a camp in Doiwala, where he treated over 300 patients in a single day.

A Lasting Legacy
Today, Kalhan Hospital stands as a beacon of hope in Dehradun, serving thousands annually. Dr. Arvind Kalhan, now in his late 60s, remains active, mentoring young doctors and overseeing the hospital’s operations. Indu, his partner in life and work, continues to lead the pediatric department, her warmth a comfort to countless families.

At a recent hospital anniversary event, Arvind reflected on his journey. “When we started on Eucalyptus Road, I just wanted to help one person at a time,” he said, his voice steady but emotional. “Now, with Indu and this incredible team, we’ve built something that helps thousands. That’s more than I ever dreamed.”

Patients still share stories of his kindness—how he waived fees for a struggling family, or stayed late to comfort a worried mother. “Dr. Kalhan doesn’t just treat your body,” says Ramesh Bisht, a long-time patient. “He heals your heart.”

Personal Touch
Outside medicine, Arvind enjoys gardening, often tending to the hospital’s small lawn with Indu. “These plants remind me to stay grounded,” he laughs. Their children, Priya and Rohan, have followed in their footsteps—Priya as a surgeon in Delhi, and Rohan as a public health researcher.

Dr. Arvind Kalhan’s life is a story of small beginnings and big dreams, woven with dedication, love, and an unyielding commitment to his community. From a single room on Eucalyptus Road to a towering hospital on Rajpur Road, his legacy endures in every life he’s touched.

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Dr. Gideon, Dr Phuntsog, Dr Ram Prakash Verma, Dr Ram Prakash Gupta. ENT Wale, Dr SK Gupta cardiologist were other notable doctors. To be continued…

Views are mine. Errors if any can be rectified. Credits are shared with many people

Dr PK GUPTA MD