healer by heart

when a bunch of kids came together in 1985 to study medicine, little did we realize that long after we started we would forever stay frozen in time here. One of us was the healer with charm compassion and smile on his lips, dr vd umashankar. We all went through the grind of an academic mbbs with minimal skills focus but macaulayean rote learning of mostly old redundant information that was irrelevant in 1985 itself, leave alone today. After acing final year exams it was time to play doctor and we ducklings waded into water guided by many well meaning seniors and teachers. USA UK Australia remain sinkholes for all top talent, a curse India endures to this day. After passing PLAB and IELTS dr umashankar was posted across NHS England to learn the ropes of Acute care medicine. His unique ability to feel his fellow human's pain, be it a patient friend family or total stranger kept him from chasing his other passions. Uma was a polyglot dabbling in Tamil poetry prose drama singing (iyal, isai, nadagam) apart from being an entrepreneur from early on. When we were preparing for pg entrance exams uma opened his first business to explore the market. His native insights kept him floating for a while but sharks ensured his fledgling venture folded. Nevertheless uma qualified as an anaesthetist and worked mostly in some of the largest teaching hospitals in south England. Southampton, Bristol, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Swindon were his training grounds. Uma specialized in cardiac anaesthesia from Cleveland clinic, USA to work in cardiac sciences for two decades. When patriotism brought him back to Chennai in 1996, little did he realize deja vu waiting for him. I had the fortune to sit through many deep dives with him, where he refused to accept that business needs to be profitable to sustain. He built a hospital that was on par with the edifices he trained and worked in while at UK USA. When we attended his hospital inauguration, we could only marvel at his brilliance in bringing India to Bharat viz., best of healthcare to a small town. His patients included many of us, who in his noble eyes were all equal; just humans in pain, to be healed. Sincerety dedication sharp clinical skills and 100% devotion meant an army of fans, of which I am astonishingly one. Which UK qualified intensivist would sleep on attenders cot to bring back a patient from jaws of death, for uma it was just another day. The sharks that ended his earlier venture smelt blood and started circling him. Some of us privy to his work and thoughts saw these sharks and warned him. A mother defended her baby from a tiger with just a stick in Indian folklore. Uma saw his patients as his brood and fearlessly continued his healing mission. When he least expected it, a great white lunged at him taking him out of the water and ending a 54 year old story. Those of us watching from sidelines could do nothing but cry. Dr Umashankar, a legend, the likes of whom are like the kurinji flower, blooming rarely but leave a gash deep in our hearts. Adios my friend, we learnt from you how to have only the patients welfare in mind when confronted with myriad options. Acute care medicine is poorer today uma, your patients lost their saviour. Soldiers give their today for our tomorrow. Doctors sacrifice their youth in training,  for their patients. Dr Umashankar gave his life, till the end remaining a true healer.

Dr Thanga Prabhu: Acute care medicine, Health Informatics, Digital Health expert. mbbs classmate of Dr VD Umashankar aka ums aka umasha :(