On Doctor’s Day today, HT City asked some men and women in white coats to share what makes this day special for them.
Dr Seema Mallik
Cosmetologist, Eleganza Rejuvenation Centre
I am in the cosmetic business. I usually get ‘thank you’ messages that say, ‘My married life is better’ and ‘I have more confidence’. But, on Doctor’s Day, the number of cards, bouquets I receive have grown over the years and it is exhilarating. In fact, sometimes the things that patients do to express their gratitude get embarrassing. There is a patient who sends me delicious biryani and that is a
gesture I cannot forget.
Our organisation celebrates Doctor’s Day with a get-together and dinner. For our patients, we always hold camps for free tests. We put up banners outside the hospital inviting people. In the past years, we have held camps in slums for underprivileged kids.
Dr Anupam Sibal
Paediatrician and Group Medical Head, Apollo Hospitals
With easy Internet access and increasing awareness, the Doctor’s Day celebrations have really caught on. I am a paediatrician and when small kids come with handmade cards that say ‘Happy Doctor’s Day’ in their cute handwriting, it makes me feel very special.
Once, I got a call from a boy from Kanchipuram on whom I had performed a liver transplant when he was 18-months-old. After 10 years of this surgery, he called to inform me that he had topped the class. Another boy from Canada called me at 2 a.m. to say, ‘Uncle, I’ve had a fight with my girlfriend’. It feels really good when patients consider us their friend.
These days, most hospitals organise events. We will celebrate with a fashion show where doctors walk the ramp, recitals, dances, dinner, etc.
Dr Kushagra Kataria
CEO and Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Artemis Health Institute
A box of mangoes, chocolates, bouquets and ‘thank you’ cards are a regular, but the nicest thing was when a little girl, not from a very privileged family, who’d undergone a successful heart transplant surgery, sent my team a handmade card. We got it framed and it still adorns one of our hospital walls.
There was another patient who had a tumor in his chest and had lost his voice. He was also a good carpenter and created for me a cricket set on a sheet. It’s been years, but the fact that he must have spent days on making that set overwhelms me even now.
Doctor’s Day at Artemis, more than celebration, is a team-building exercise. A lot of people are cognisant about the day and the number of emails and messages I receive on the day from fellow doctors and patients is thrilling. So, for all our patients, we try and reciprocate their love by holding an orthopedic, oncology and cardiology camp where the usual services are provided at 50 per cent off.
Dr Kushagra Kataria
CEO and Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Artemis Health Institute
A box of mangoes, chocolates, bouquets and ‘thank you’ cards are a regular, but the nicest thing was when a little girl, not from a very privileged family, who’d undergone a successful heart transplant surgery, sent my team a handmade card. We got it framed and it still adorns one of our hospital walls.
There was another patient who had a tumor in his chest and had lost his voice. He was also a good carpenter and created for me a cricket set on a sheet. It’s been years, but the fact that he must have spent days on making that set overwhelms me even now.
Doctor’s Day at Artemis, more than celebration, is a team-building exercise. A lot of people are cognisant about the day and the number of emails and messages I receive on the day from fellow doctors and patients is thrilling. So, for all our patients, we try and reciprocate their love by holding an orthopedic, oncology and cardiology camp where the usual services are provided at 50 per cent off.