The proponent of the traditional form of medicine, breathed his last on July 10 at Kailasa Mandiram, the headquarters of Arya Vaidya Sala, just weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday

Global IndianstoryRemembering PK Warrier: The freedom fighter who took Ayurveda to the world

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Remembering PK Warrier: The freedom fighter who took Ayurveda to the world

Written by: Global Indian

Over the years, the 132-year-old Arya Vaidya Sala has become synonymous with the Kerala brand of Ayurveda. So much so that 3 in 10 patients that walk into their flagship hospital at Kerala’s Kottakkal town are foreigners. The one man who deserves the lion’s share of credit for taking Ayurveda to the world: Panniyampilly Krishnankutty Warrier, or PK Warrier as he was popularly known. The proponent of the traditional form of medicine, breathed his last on July 10 at Kailasa Mandiram, the headquarters of Arya Vaidya Sala, just weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday.

Warrier was the chief physician and managing trustee of Vaidyaratnam PS Varier’s Arya Vaidya Sala. According to current estimates, the Ayurveda industry is valued at close to ₹30,000 crore ($4.5 billion).

A holistic approach

PK Warrier Photo Courtesy: Frontline

Born in 1921 in Kottakkal, Warrier was the youngest of six children. He studied at Zamorin’s High School in Kozhikode before going on to study Ayurveda at Arya Vaidya Pathasala (now Vaidyaratnam PS Varier Ayurveda College). Around that time India’s struggle for independence from British rule gained momentum and Warrier dropped his Ayurveda studies to join the Quit India movement in the 1940s after hearing Mahatma Gandhi’s call to the nation. He was later attracted to the Communist movement, before he quit active politics to take care of the family business.

At the age of 24 he became a trustee of the Arya Vaidya Sala which had been founded in 1902 by his uncle PS Varier. He was in charge of the healthcare chain’s medicine manufacturing unit and rose through the ranks to become the managing trustee of the group after his elder brother PM Warrier’s demise in 1953.

He became synonymous with Ayurveda in modern times and played a pivotal role in popularizing this traditional treatment method across the globe. Warrier ensured that Ayruveda became accessible to the masses; in fact, he never charged any fees for consultation – neither from the rich nor the poor. He worked towards augmenting research in drug standardization and development in the sector. In his seven-decade long career, he has treated several VVIPs including heads of states from various countries.

Warrier was instrumental in developing Ayurvedic medicines in the form of tablets and tonics from their earlier versions of kashayam (concoction) and choornam (powder). When he took over the Arya Vaidya Sala, the firm’s turnover was ₹9 lakh, now it ₹500 crore and it has branches across most major cities in the country. The firm also runs five major hospitals, an R&D centre, two medicine factories and 1,500 retail outlets apart from herbal gardens. Its rejuvenation therapy which became widely popular is what drew several celebrities to Kottakkal, which has now become synonymous with Ayurveda.

Actor Mohanlal visited PK Warrier at Arya Vaidya Sala

The global connection

Today, about 30% of the patients at the Arya Vaidya Sala in Kottakkal are from the West European, Middle East and North American countries. A majority of these foreigners are of the 50 and above age group. Warrier himself had traveled extensively to treat patients. In 2002, he had gone to Spain to treat a senior member of the royal family.

In recent times, the hospital also began to develop specialized cancer care. In an interview with Frontline, Warrier said,

“My mother died of cancer in 1965, resting her head on my lap. Through her, I experienced closely the pain and sorrow of a cancer patient. The impact of that experience led me to new explorations and initiatives to find some solutions.”

In the same interview he added, “We have followed the fundamental principle that Ayurveda is an ancient science adept at modernizing itself from time to time. The discipline has always imbibed new developments in science and technology.”

Awards and recognition

His work earned him several awards and honors. He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 2008 for his book ‘Smriti Parvam’, he also co-authored ‘Indian Medicinal Plants: A Compendium of 500 Species’ and has many research papers in the fields of Ayurveda and ethnopharmacology to his credit. In 2010 the government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan and he holds a Doctor of Medicine award from the University of Copenhagen.

PK Warrier receiving the Padma Bhushan

In 2015, a rare plant, which is seen 1500 feet above sea level was named in honor of Warrier. Called Gymnostachyum Warrieranum, the plant has yellow and blue colored flowers and was discovered at the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannur. In a Facebook post, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said:

“He embraced modernity by keeping the values of tradition. Hence it moved from the fire stoves fueled by wood to steam plant and kashayams in bottles to tablets and thailams to gel. He led a team to publish a five-volume treatise on 500 species of Indian medicinal plants. It is an invaluable legacy.”

What Twitterati say

#PKWarrier– his lifelong practice of the Science of Ayurveda brought wellbeing to people all over the world. The Nation will always remember him as an ardent advocate & a passionate ambassador for one of the oldest healing systems. –Sg https://t.co/PxIfjIzZ8n

— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) July 11, 2021

Dr PK Warrier, flagbearer of Kottakkal Ayurveda lived for a century and died peacefully

Born in 1921 in Kottakkal, Dr #PKWarrier was a freedom fighter known to have been instrumental in modernising the packaging of Ayurveda medicineshttps://t.co/GvePtRJhE7

— The Frustrated Indian (@FrustIndian) July 11, 2021

I shed a tear, involuntarily hearing the news of my favourite Mahavaidya #PKWarrier passing. Loss to humanity, my personal loss…I have no words to express this grief.Pranams to your immeasurable life and the way you touched each one of us! #RIPPKWarrier #KottakkalAryaVaidyasala pic.twitter.com/dGdTHGevlE

— resul pookutty (@resulp) July 10, 2021

Deeply saddened by the passing away of legendary Ayurveda Achrya, Managing Trustee of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya sala, Padma Bhushan, Dr P K Warrier Ji.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.#PKWarrier pic.twitter.com/5IUWpsQwRL

— Diya Kumari (@KumariDiya) July 11, 2021

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Published on 12, Jul 2021

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Dr Ashish Jha: The straight-talking dean and pandemic expert

Dr Ashish Jha is known for his unbiased, play-it-straight approach to healthcare. With a cocktail of research, persuasion, and a witty Twitter feed, the Indian American has been driving health care improvements for more than a decade. More importantly, he has become the go-to expert when it comes to everything Covid: A sought-often TV analyst, the Dean of Brown University School of Public Health is often seen sharing insights on how the world can better battle the pandemic, what the numbers actually mean, the importance of vaccination and strategies to overcome the second wave. So much so that the physician and public health scholar was ranked by Fortune magazine as one of the year's 50 greatest leaders for his work during the COVID-19 crisis. “There’s an old saying in global health. You can ignore, fail to test for, or undercount whatever disease you want. But you can’t ignore the dead.” Dr Jha's strengths: The ability to break down complicated public health issues, lack of government affiliations and a sprinkling of empathy without judgment, Fortune said. [embed]https://twitter.com/ashishkjha/status/1398129963942006785[/embed] Straight Talk Dr Jha has a flair for words and his tweets, mostly about medicare, find a loyal audience. In May, he tweeted: “There’s an old saying in global health. You can ignore, fail to test for, or

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Dr Jha's strengths: The ability to break down complicated public health issues, lack of government affiliations and a sprinkling of empathy without judgment, Fortune said.

[embed]https://twitter.com/ashishkjha/status/1398129963942006785[/embed]

Straight Talk

Dr Jha has a flair for words and his tweets, mostly about medicare, find a loyal audience. In May, he tweeted: “There’s an old saying in global health. You can ignore, fail to test for, or undercount whatever disease you want. But you can’t ignore the dead.” He was among the first healthcare experts to call out the gravity of India’s COVID-19 situation. In a recent interview with The Print’s Shekhar Gupta, Dr Jha stated that one of the reasons for India’s COVID-19 crisis was the country’s under-investment in healthcare over the years. He openly called out this year's Kumbh Mela in India as the biggest super-spreader in the pandemic's history. He even stuck his neck out and stated that India’s Covid testing is inadequate and the infection rate is most likely underestimated by up to five times. Clearly, Dr Jha is not one to mince his words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHOs6hDS7I

At one point last summer, he was doing 10 to 12 TV appearances a day, which have now come down to about four or so. “My take is people are not looking for certainty. People are looking for judgment,” Jha told Stat News. “And it’s fine to give judgment as long as you’re not overstating the data.”

Humble Beginnings

Born in Bihar’s Madhubani to educator parents, Dr Jha’s family moved to Toronto when he was 9 years old and eventually to the US in 1983. He went on to receive his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1997 and a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2004. The Indian American became the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute before taking over as Dean at Brown University School of Public Health in September 2020. While he was at Harvard, Dr Jha led a team of healthcare experts to Delhi's slum colonies in association with non-profit Asha India where he spoke about the social determinants of health.

“His background as a practitioner... and a global health advocate engaged in major issues such as the impact of climate change on public health makes him an ideal leader,” said a February 2020 report on the Brown University website that announced his appointment as Dean.

American Medical System

A provocative pragmatist, Jha has torn into the medical system of his adopted homeland at times. “Probably the most dangerous place in the world for a human being: an American hospital,” he said in 2014.“Nothing we do in our lives puts us at such great risk for injury as being a patient in a hospital. Not driving. Not flying. Not even being a pedestrian in Boston. Nothing else is close.” An author of more than 200 published empirical papers, Dr Jha has also led seminal work comparing the US health system with those of other high-income countries to better understand why the US spends more but achieves less in terms of population health.

"Probably the most dangerous place in the world for a human being: an American hospital.” - Jha said in 2014.

More Feathers in the Cap

Jha's authoritative stance on healthcare topics comes from years of diligent research and constant learning. He co-chaired an international commission that examined global response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and has written extensively on how global agencies such as the World Health Organization can be more effective in combating infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola, Zika, and now Coronavirus. A number of federal roles in the US - special assistant to the secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs and selection as member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2013 - are part of his towering profile.

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HEALTHCARE: Mama Zulekha, the Deliverer

(Suruchi Kapur Gomes, May 1) It was 1964, and a 23-year-old impressionable girl left the cocoon of her sheltered life straddled with a medical degree from Nagpur and a stethoscope in hand. She was the first Indian woman doctor in the UAE, who today has an unequivocal legacy and healthcare empire. Mama Zulekha, a gynecologist, focused on affordable healthcare with a compassion that has enriched many lives, least of all, the 15,000-20,000 babies she has delivered. “At that time, the Trucial States (a collection of sheikhdoms in West Asia) were just sand as far as the eye could see. The British army was running the show, there I started my journey of helping people. People received me with open arms. In those days, a BP apparatus and stethoscope were her only equipment. “Access was remote, and we traveled through deserts in a Range Rover, most deliveries managed at home,” says Dr Daud. Creating her own identity in Kuwait, then Dubai and Sharjah, she juggled many roles - a gynecologist, general physician, even a vet - while expecting her first child. Ask her how she balanced being a mother and a doctor, pat comes the reply: “I had the best children, they

In those days, a BP apparatus and stethoscope were her only equipment. “Access was remote, and we traveled through deserts in a Range Rover, most deliveries managed at home,” says Dr Daud.

Creating her own identity in Kuwait, then Dubai and Sharjah, she juggled many roles - a gynecologist, general physician, even a vet - while expecting her first child. Ask her how she balanced being a mother and a doctor, pat comes the reply: “I had the best children, they were wonderful.”

Tackling responsibilities with purpose and clarity, her husband Dr Iqbal Daud, an ophthalmologist at Ras Al Khaimah joined her in Kuwait at the American Kuwait Mission Hospital. “I became a household name. And later started practicing in Sharjah. What we earnestly seek, comes with time, you have to keep doing the work,” says the veteran who is an active and inspired 84-year-old.

Philanthropy connected her back to her roots in Nagpur, where she supports a school, a college and a vocational centre. Born into a family of a construction worker, she says:

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Her work ethic comes across even on a zoom call as she brandishes a spontaneity of purpose, seeking an NGO to help her Nagpur school.

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In the throes of Covid 19, her hospitals offer mental wellness counseling sessions, webinars on safety, recovery, and free second opinions. Her son Adil Daud, is HS clinical professor, department of medicine, UCSF and his wife Pamela Munster is program leader Experimental Therapeutics UCSF, and ambassadors for the Zulekha Cancer charity. Dr Daud reveals, “For more than 10 years, we give free mammograms, PAP tests and FOBT tests to the masses, and over 15,000 people have taken these tests to date. We also offer free consultation.”

Her daughter Zanubia helms the healthcare empire. “Throughout my life, I have had to sacrifice a lot, but that has only helped me grow and learn as an individual. Every human life is important to me,” she concludes.

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Meet Jonathan Iralu, the Naga-origin doctor who has a day dedicated to him in New Mexico

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ong>60-year-old Dr Iralu had been proactive in taking measure to protect people right from the outset and throughout the pandemic he worked to deliver timely patient care.

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His Indian roots

Born to an Indian father and American mother, Dr Iralu is a third-generation doctor from Khonoma village in Nagaland. His grandfather, the late Dr Sevilie Iralu was a well-known doctor in Nagaland in the 1920s. His father Dr Vichazelhu Iralu, a parasitologist, moved from Khonoma to the US in the 1940s for work. It was there that he met his wife, and Dr Iralu’s mother Tefta, a microbiologist.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Dr Iralu said, “My grandfather was one of the first doctors (a general practitioner) in Nagaland trained in Dibrugarh under the British in the 1920s. He was a passionate man who was very good to his patients, and that is what has inspired me.”

Dr Iralu grew up on the East Coast and studied at Harvard University. He moved to New Mexico in 1994 after the Hantavirus outbreak in 1993.

“Something about the work — and the place —fascinated me and I stuck on,” he said.

Dr Iralu is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and serves as a senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Global Health Equity in Boston, Massachusetts.

[embed]http://twitter.com/IHSgov/status/1417138456736804869?s=20[/embed]

Challenges along the way

While the infectious diseases specialist makes it a point to visit Nagaland every two years, he hasn’t been able to since the outbreak of the coronavirus. According to him, this pandemic has been one of the most challenging phases in his career. He told Indian Express,

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[embed]http://twitter.com/IDSAInfo/status/1290749868051488768?s=20[/embed]

New Mexico, which has a large Native American and Hispanic population, was hit pretty hard by the pandemic, Dr Iralu’s efforts along with those of other doctors from the state helped it overcome the worst of it. The state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the US with over 72% of the adult population having received at least one dose.

According to Dr Iralu, what helped the medical fraternity in New Mexico was supported by strong local leaders, an important aspect in tribal communities. One of the largest concerns of the pandemic, he said, was the vaccine hesitancy.

“Vaccines are true life savers. The benefits outweigh the risks and that’s my message to people back in Nagaland – when it becomes more widely available, one should not be afraid to take it.”

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Dr Nikhila Juvvadi: 32-year-old chief clinical officer who gave Chicago its first Covid-19 jab

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derful," Hyderabad-origin Dr Juvvadi told Global Indian in an exclusive interview. The historic moment was celebrated both in the United States and back home in India. African Americans, Asian Americans and Latin Americans from the city community were the first recipients of the vaccine. The reason: Loretto wanted to send out a message that every section will be catered to equitably through the vaccine roll-out process, says Dr Juvvadi, also the hospital’s internal medicine physician and vice president of operations. But convincing people (especially from disadvantaged communities) to get their first jab wasn’t easy in the early days.

"Listening and answering queries helps,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_3858" align="alignnone" width="750"] Dr Marina Del Rios reacts as she receives Chicago's first COVID-19 vaccination from Dr Nikhila Juvvadi on Dec 15, 2020.[/caption]

Journey of an “in-betweener”

Dr Juvvadi has had a unique journey: She was born in Chicago but her family moved back to Hyderabad when she was 11. She went on to study at Nasr Girls School, Kakatiya Junior College and Bhaskar Medical College. In order to fit into her new surroundings in Hyderabad, she learned both Hindi and Telugu.

“I was made fun of for my accent. People at that time could not relate to my experiences or perspectives. I then moved back to the US after college and did the same thing in reverse. For a long time, I was an in-betweener,” she says.

But those experiences helped shape her as a person who now integrates both her American and Indian side in every walk of life. And that makes her a Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_3861" align="alignnone" width="1400"] Loretto Hospital | Dr Nikhila Juvvadi Loretto Hospital: Where Dr Juvvadi practices.[/caption]

"I would not be who I am today if my journey was not complicated and unique. I can relate to people wherever in the world they are from. Importantly, I am more confident, outgoing and have a belief that I can achieve anything," she says. A piece of advice she has for those embarking on a journey: Expect the unexpected and keep one’s eyes and ears open for new learnings from unexpected quarters. "Anyone can teach you things that will be of use to you on your journey, so always engage them and be kind," she says. One thing that Dr Juvvadi always carries with her is books. "My books stayed with me throughout which made me escape to a make-believe world, especially in those such as The Lord of the Rings."

[caption id="attachment_3870" align="alignnone" width="365"] Dr Nikhila Juvvadi With her proud parents.[/caption]

Indian-ness

Ask her to name one Indian-ness that remained throughout, pat comes the reply:

"My Indian-ness is who I refer to as my family. I am very close to all of my extended family, and they are my support structure."

Engaging with her folks in Chicago and Hyderabad gives her maximum joy as she can connect with them through shared memories.

Indian Americans who inspire

Dr Juvvadi counts Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, as her favorite Global Indian. Murthy had also co-chaired US President Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory board from November 2020 to January 2021. She believes that Global Indians are breaking every glass ceiling and there is no limit. "Brand India has evolved dramatically," she signs out.

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Fellowship of life: Flying doctors whose air ambulances gave India its first aeromedical commandos

(November 20, 2021) They say a lot can happen over coffee. For doctor duo Dr Rahul Singh and Dr Shalini Nalwad, those conversations over a hot cuppa on numerous nippy Liverpool days led to India’s first aeromedical emergency unit and air ambulance service by International Critical Care Air Transfer Team (ICATT). Hyderabad born Dr Rahul Singh Sardar and Karnataka born Dr Shalini Nalwad launched the International Critical Care Air Transfer Team — a highly trained air ambulance service in India in 2017. Four years hence, these two flying doctors have trained India’s first aeromedical commandos, entered conflict zones, war-torn areas and answered pleas of critically ill patients, saving precious lives. An air ambulance is still considered just a means of transport in India. However, the docs stress that keeping critically ill patients stable with in-transit care is key to saving lives. This is where the ICATT team finds fulfilment. From undertaking the longest aeromedical operations from Johannesburg to Chennai to transfer a terminal Cancer patient during a global aviation lockdown in 2020 to airlifting an Indian engineer from Bagram air base in Afghanistan during lockdown, and executing hassle-free air transfers of 400 critical Covid patients within and outside the country

outside the country — the highly trained team has been busy.

Behind the team of emergency responders are two determined and dedicated doctors who turned entrepreneurs, resolutely self-learnt business, and successfully launched a company that is now one of the leading air ambulance providers in Asia. The team has won an excellence award for “innovation in emergency medicine” at the Emergency Medical Conference in the UK.

[caption id="attachment_16262" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Dr Rahul Singh and Dr Shalini Nalwad[/caption]

The doctors who studied in the UK and Ireland brought back a wealth of training and experience to harness it for an India that even pre pandemic needed aeromedical expertise.

A fortuitous meeting

Dr Rahul's parents Narpath Singh and mother Sartaj Kaur are from Sikh families settled in South India. The Hyderabad Public School student (which also groomed Satya Nadella and chief ministers) dabbled in computers in his gap year, even entered a personality contest, modelled and choreographed too. Soon the shy and introvert boy who trusted few, transformed. Inspired by relatives in the medical profession, he joined BLDE Medical College in Bijapur (1994), interned at Gandhi General Hospital in Hyderabad, and enrolled for a highly competitive training programme in Anaesthesia and Critical Care in Southeast Thames Deanery, London. As part of the “Shock team” in Glasgow, air transport of patients across Scotland and beyond prepared him for the gargantuan task ahead. He also did higher specialist training in North West Deanery with Manchester as base.

Happenstance connected him with Dr Shalini in 2013, “During the Royal College final fellowship exams, I did a preparatory course in Liverpool where I met Dr Shalini who was from a different Deanery doing the same course,” says Dr Rahul whose wife Dr Daljeet Kaur incidentally is a psychiatrist.

[caption id="attachment_16263" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Dr Rahul Singh[/caption]

Dr Shalini studied at St Joseph’s Convent in Mandya. Selected for the Goldman Sachs’ fellowship programme for women entrepreneurs at Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, she finished her fellowship from The College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland and Membership (postgraduate training) from the Royal College of Anaesthetists, UK. She worked at Europe’s leading air ambulance company AirMed International, and has transferred Level 2-3 patients, trained over 300 doctors, nurses and paramedics in emergency medical and pre-hospital courses. In the past, she has rescued patients across five countries, two continents - airlifting from Libya amidst conflict, war zones like Tripoli, Egypt and Mauritania, and a patient with brittle interstitial lung disease from Karachi for a lung transplant. She is married to Harshavardhana Nalwad, an Orthopaedic surgeon.

A step in time saves nine

“From concept to setting up a bootstrapped grossly under-funded company where the promoters multi-tasked and did everything, to becoming the largest air ambulance service in Asia within four years is an achievement that has made us more confident, mature and less insecure,” smiles Dr Rahul as Dr Shalini nods in agreement, in an exclusive with Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_16301" align="aligncenter" width="2831"] The flying doctors Dr Rahul Singh and Dr Shalini Nalwad with their team.[/caption]

"The company is owned by us without loans or credit,” Dr Shalini adds. While their corporate office is in Bengaluru, operational offices are spread across Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.

The biggest challenge starting up in 2017 in an era that witnessed major aviation failures (Sahara and Kingfisher), was the complex business model. It saw the duo with no formal training in business pivot. “We had no other option but to boot strap and grow. This was a blessing in disguise as it forced us to work as a lean organisation, and everyone multi-tasked. It made us step out of our medical boots and get involved in the overall running of a corporate,” says Dr Shalini.

[caption id="attachment_16266" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Dr Rahul Singh and Dr Shalini Nalwad[/caption]

The absence of training programmes for aero-medical sciences or transit care medicine in a country where ICU training in emergency situations was, and is still evolving, they had a huge task ahead. “There was a global reluctance to invest in Indian aviation which we overcame organically,” they inform, each harnessing decade-long experience.

Close friends and family helped smoothen the business and organisational end. “At that time, there were no air ambulance aircrafts in South India. All the planes were in Delhi, and thus performing an aeromedical operation in South India incurred heavy ferry costs,” Dr Shalini recalls. There were no regulations from the DGCA on the use of helicopters in medical roles too. After tough struggles, they were invited by the DGCA to make the draft civil aviation requirement document on HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service).

[caption id="attachment_16299" align="aligncenter" width="617"] The flying doctors[/caption]

Embarking on relationship building, and an awareness campaign, early 2016 saw them touch base with medical professionals in hospitals. Invited to conferences, it became a platform to display the air ambulance service practiced in other parts of the world. “We conducted workshops and live helicopter drills, even landed a helicopter in a car park of a conference to display HEMS,” Dr Rahul avers.

After single minded effort and pointers courtesy the duo, DGCA’s operations circulars on HEMS now authorise helicopters to take off and land without prior permissions for medical emergencies. “This forms the basis for all helicopter medical operations to be done in India in the future,” says a victorious Dr Shalini who did her MBBS from JSS Medical College, Mysore University.

It was their wealth of experience which made the air ambulance service a reality. From conception to designing training programmes for flying doctors, also called a Fellowship in Aero-Medical Sciences, they were on track to saving lives. “The syllabus was written by colleagues in London HEMS, a clinical director was appointed from Kent, and the complete faculty came from the UK Aero-Medical Services,” says Dr Rahul, the recipient of a National Business Excellence and Achiever's Award 2021.

How to gain a fellowship

The course runs in four modules, candidates train in India for three modules in real conditions, the last is in London with real time HEMS operations,” they share. Notably, such a training programme for flying doctors is the first in India.

“Our doctors undergo one of the world’s best training in critical care, anaesthesia, pre-hospital emergency medicine and extra corporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO). Gruelling sessions at the National Health Service (UK) helped incorporate the culture of clinical governance,” they explain, beaming with pride. The services offered include trauma emergency response, planned air transfer, organ retrieval, ecmo, neonatal, paediatric and high-risk obstetric transfers.

During his specialist training at Northwest Deanery, Manchester, Dr Rahul won the Robbie McKendrick Prize for his work on cardiorespiratory monitoring during transfer of critical patients.

Prices vary between ₹3 lakh to ₹12 lakh, and it is dependent on route, hours flown, patient condition, etc, and offers two aircrafts — a B200 and a C90, both twin engine turbo props.

Saviours during the pandemic

ICATT’s most challenging and ground-breaking operations started during the pandemic. “We did a record creating 126 ECMO initiations and transfers in the past year, more than 400 Covid critical patient transfers,” say the flying doctors who had to overcome insurmountable bureaucratic roadblocks in government machinery to obtain clearances.

Dr Shalini also cautions on the use of air ambulances and says there is nothing called an easy transfer, “It is imperative to understand the impact on the well-being of a patient.” How these two doctors-turned-business partners were able to succeed in a logic-defying venture like air ambulances, one wonders. “Getting involved in every aspect of business, setting achievable goals, enjoying and celebrating small victories, improvising and changing game plans as things evolve made us successful. It taught us to never give up,” they add.

[caption id="attachment_16271" align="alignnone" width="1080"] The flying doctors[/caption]

Dr Rahul and Dr Shalini have added to Brand India with their expertise, and feel, “India is the best place on Earth, especially because a concept can change into an empire if proven right, that (thought) is huge.

Giving back

ICATT Foundation (set up after the 2018 Kerala floods) provides free air ambulance service to the poor. “Under the aegis of ICATT Foundation, we launched the Covid India Campaign — a pan India disaster task force in March 2020 with thousands of volunteers. We raised about Rs 30 crore in donations, and trained nearly 30,000 students in CPR across Karnataka,” informs Dr Shalini, chairperson. her favourite Global Indian is the ex-Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar whose non-conventional persona and success inspire her.

Follow Dr Shalini Nalwad on Linkedin and Dr Rahul Singh Sardar on Linkedin

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