The demanding life of PGI doctors

Ever since my adolescence, I have been fascinated by doctors. I always thought they had an aura of compassion and empathy as portrayed in films and TV serials. They had such an influence on me that I always aspired to be a doctor.

But that was not to be as my mother wanted me to be a banker. I cleared the bank examination and was posted at a bank branch in the PGI, Chandigarh. I put this opportunity to observe doctors so closely down to divine providence. I spent the bulk of my service tenure at the PGI branch. Being assigned to the foreign exchange desk gave me a chance to interact with senior doctors. Gradually, I developed a rapport with many. One doctor, on being offered tea, would take out an apple from his pocket and start munching it.

Not just their humorous quirks, I was also witness to their professional integrity. A senior doctor continued performing an urgent heart surgery on my father-in-law despite being told that there was a fire at his house. In another incident, a senior doctor insisted on giving local anaesthesia before a surgery to my terrified sister who was pleading for a general one. He smilingly remarked, “You are asking me to kill a fly with cannon.” Eventually, he relented.

During my tenure, I observed from close quarters their professional ethics amid the challenges of attending to thousands of patients in a day, balancing work and life and adapting to technological changes. My stay at the PGI branch put paid to my juvenile perception that doctors live a life of ease and comfort. Being a doctor is a demanding vocation.

Vijay Kumar Katial, Panchkula