My Experience of the Conference and Attachment in India
I am extremely grateful for having been given the opportunity to travel to Hyderabad in January 2017 by BAPIO and Dr Ramesh Mehta as part of the BAPIO research and innovation competition. The Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Conference in Hyderabad was an entertaining and enriching especially rewarding to hear leading physicians discuss their work with one another and foster new global collaborations! I was delighted to be able to present my work at the conference.
However, by far the most exciting component of my journey was the opportunity to shadow the paediatric team at Rainbow Hospital, Banjara Hills. Under the hospitality of Dr Dinesh Chirla and Dr Prashanth I was able to observe Medicine being practiced in a very different setting to the usual clinics in London.
Firstly, it was extraordinary to see the stamina with which the doctors were able to see up to 100 patients per clinic, with remarkable efficiency that put the NHS 15-minute consultation to shame. This was certainly made a lot easier by the strong relationships that Dr Lokesh Lingappa had with the admin staff and junior clinicians, who all amalgamated to form one highly functioning unit which saw all the patients together in one room. It was also refreshing to see that the clinicians had embraced simple technologies such as Google Drive far in advance of their contemporaries in the UK.
Secondly, it was extremely useful to see a whole range of clinical presentations in the space of a few days. This was an unparalleled opportunity and it would certainly have taken a few months at the very least to see the same variety of cases in London. Because of this, I think my time in Hyderabad has certainly improved my clinical skills, but it has also given me a chance to reflect upon and adapt my communication style with patients.
One final eye-opening experience to mention was the fantastic basic life support course held at Rainbow Hospital. The course, taught by experts in paediatric intensive care, was attended by a host of school teachers, sports coaches and policemen who had all previously been in a situation where they could have benefited from basic life support knowledge. The sessions were highly practical and the attendees took away some useful skills that would certainly benefit the community in the near future. There was also an important emphasis placed upon setting up efficient reporting mechanisms for accidents in schools and sports halls which would have a lasting impact on the ability of these institutions to care for children. I myself also received an education in basic life support that was far superior to that of my medical school training!
Overall, my time in Hyderabad was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I would once again like to thank Dr Ramesh Mehta, the organisers of the BAPIO research and innovation competition, and the staff at Rainbow Hospital for making this opportunity possible. As I readjust to the dreary clinics of North West London, I find myself increasingly eager to hear about the experiences of future students!
Shyam Gokani 17.01.2017
Editor’s note: British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) held the first BAPIO Research & Innovation Competition in collaboration with Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Doctors Academy during its Annual Conference on 29-30 November at London.
The competition was intended to provide a platform for enthusiastic and academically oriented medical students and young doctors to present their research & innovation work to national audience, either in the form of an oral or a poster presentation.
Mr Shyam Gokani was the winner of First prize. The first prize was – Travel to India to present in an International competition and 1-week clinical attachment in chosen speciality. Shyam presented his paper at The Annual Conference of Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin at Hyderabad on 8th January 2017 at Hyderabad, India. He did 1 week attachment with Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Rainbow Hospital, Hyderabad, India.