One of the pioneer orthopaedic surgeons in the country, Dr N S Bhat has played a
crucial role in setting up the orthopaedic dept at Hamad Hospital as well as Doha Clinic.
In conversation with Rubina Singh, Dr Bhat recalls the numerous challenges that
came his way in a career spanning four decades
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Numerous gold medals adorn his collection and many accolades have come his way. A bright student, a good sportsman, a brilliant doctor and an internationally respected surgeon, he also speaks almost 15 languages.
Dr N S Bhat came to Qatar 38 years ago and almost four decades later is still serving the community with the same dedication.
He acknowledges that 11:30pm on the 13th of December 1975, was the most momentous of his life, one that changed the course of his life. After completing higher education and gaining experience in UK, he visited Doha on his way to fulfill his dream of opening a hospital in India and ended up staying in Qatar — that one event, he says, changed his entire destiny.
This was a time when Rumailah was the only hospital in Qatar and he became one of the only two orthopaedic surgeons in the country. Hamad Hospital was yet to come into existence and when it did, he was instrumental in setting up the first orthopaedic surgery department in Qatar.
Along with his wife, a paediatric neurologist, they soon became the most popular doctor couple in the country and later when private hospitals came up, he became an integral part of the team that established the department of orthopaedic surgery in Doha Clinic, where he still works. Excerpts from an interview ...
En route to India with plans to realise your lifelong ambition, you stopped in Doha and had a change of heart. What contributed to this major change in plan?
The day I set foot in Doha was the most important landmark in my life. Upon coming here, we found in Doha an opportunity to nest that was a healthy compromise between the Western buzz and the complexity of life in India.
This was the place that was offering jobs with respectable salaries so we decided to stay a while and save some money before setting out again to fulfill our dream project of setting up a hospital in India.
As there weren’t many specialised doctors in the country, we felt we were able to make a substantial contribution to the society here which was challenging but also very fulfilling. Years went by and we got accustomed to life in Qatar and we stayed on.
What medical facilities existed here in Doha at the time of your arrival?
When I arrived in 1975, there was only one other orthopaedic surgeon practising in the country. Gradually, more surgeons and equipment were brought in and in time the orthopaedic department gained in popularity. Eventually it became the most sought-after facility in this region. In fact, I often used to have patients from the subcontinent and other countries in the Middle East. We handled numerous challenging cases which were dealt with adequately and soon the orthopaedic surgical facilities in Qatar started to gain respect from other countries as well.
Back in those days, there were no private hospitals or clinics in Qatar. Rumailah was the only existing hospital and Hamad was still under construction.
What was the toughest part of being a medico in Qatar in those days?
To convince people that specialised treatment, especially in orthopaedic surgery, could be done in the country and was at par with the Western world was indeed a Herculean task.
At the time, all expats requiring specialised treatments would go back to their home country and the locals as well preferred to go abroad for medical treatment. So bringing people to believe that safe surgeries were possible here itself was a major challenge.
Any interesting anecdotes from those days ...
One of the first surgeries I did was for an elderly Qatari who insisted on having camel milk from his own camel every morning for breakfast. Being influential and accustomed to having his own way he insisted his camel be parked outside the hospital ... and it was accomplished.
There were also times when I would be performing surgery on some important personality before catching a flight and if the surgery got prolonged unexpectedly, the flight departure was delayed.
How did it feel to be one among the few doctors in the country?
It felt very good to be of value. Doha’s population was reasonably small and we had great respect from all communities in the country. A lot of my patients now are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of my patients back then and the younger generation has utmost respect for our knowledge and wisdom. It is gratifying to still receive the same respect that we did back then.
Does living in Doha feel very different now, especially with so much of competition?
If you know how to move with the tide, it’s not difficult. You cannot be an icon forever but in your own clinic and profession, your expertise still earns you the same respect and that is very special. Being well known in the community and being able to contribute towards the health and well being of the society, is still a great pleasure.
Tell us about your formative years …
My father passed away when I was a child. At the time, I felt that we might not have lost him if we had been able to afford specialised treatment. Losing my father in this way inspired me into taking up the medical profession. Through the years, this desire remained firmly ingrained in my psyche. I was good at studies and hence was able to choose the field I wanted to specialise in. In the midst of all this, I broke my forearm in an accident, which in my innocent youthful wisdom I felt was not set properly by the doctor and that incident inspired me into choosing orthopaedic surgery as my specialisation.
You started off in life with a fair share of philanthropic ideals, so did you get more materialistic along the way or are you still pursuing those charitable aspirations?
After a few years of working in Qatar, we were able to gather enough resources to setup the hospital in India that I had always wanted to do. I believe in charity in my service to the people through my profession. On many occasions, if the patient is unable to afford the needed treatment, I will help them out wherever possible.
City of Doha ... then and now...?
Doha then was a nice quiet village-city where most people knew each other. And being doctors, we had the privilege of knowing most of the people in different communities. The local Qatari people in particular were always very kind and overwhelmingly fond of us and that is still very true today.
Travelling was a pleasure even though there weren’t as many traffic rules enforced then, we still managed to reach places before time.
There were lots of opportunities given to us by the hospital to pursue any kind of research or publishing work and we were sponsored to attend the best of international conferences which is still continuing today. And even though there wasn’t much else happening in Qatar then, all this added to our academic stimulation and we were able to keep ourselves abreast of the international medical developments.
Gulf Hotel which is now the Marriott was the biggest hotel in the city in those days. Even the Sheraton was built later. Qatar was a nice, happy, fun-loving country that time as well as now, although a lot more avenues have opened up for entertainment.
Souq Waqif used to be a vegetable market and behind Emiri Diwan, there was an Indian shopping centre ... lots have changed in that respect but what has remained unchanged is the complete faith in my professional judgement and authority... it’s a kind of symbiosis.
Do you think the changes in the country over these four decades have been for the better or worse?
As I see it, definitely for the better.
Has life changed for the better for the migrant labour population in Doha?
Although life in the country has had a sea change for other stratas of the society, going by what I hear from the labour section about their lifestyle, things haven’t changed much for them financially.
From a medical perspective, what needs to be addressed to improve conditions for the labour population?
I think a lot of things are already in progress such as compulsory medical insurance for all labourers which enables them to get timely medical treatment immediately. From my perspective, that is a very important step in the right direction and is definitely making a marked improvement in their living conditions.
In terms of standard of service and laws relating to medical treatment, do you think things are at par with the rest of the world?
The laws in this country are framed in accordance with what is good for this nation and are probably in tandem with laws in neighbouring countries as well. So, under such circumstances, they have a system which is in place and seems to work well for this place.
SUNDAY CONVERSATION
I, me, myself
My most memorable experience
Passing my most coveted exams with flying colours
Person who influenced me most
My elder and my only brother
Best thing that ever happened to me
My children — a daughter and a son
My greatest fear
None
My strongest personality trait
Perseverance and perfection
My weakest personality trait
Intolerance to laziness and intolerants
Most dearest possession/ treasure
My grand children
My favourite celebrity ...
Mahatma Gandhi
I love...
Music and reading
I dislike ...
Narrow mindedness and quarrels
I idolise...
People who struggled and succeeded
I can’t live without...
Professional stimulation
I can’t live with...
Unnecessary criticism
Coffee or tea?
Coffee
Snow or sun?
Sun
Gadget I couldn’t do without
None
Biggest turn on/ turn off ...
Intellectual conversation/ gossiping and blame game
... makes my life worth living
Everything around me
I don’t believe in ...
Giving up and defeatist attitude
Three things to do before I die
Take care of health
Take care of wealth
Hope for a painless non-dependant death