Personal experience is the bestest teacher in life...

How do you interpret the need of accessing healthcare? Is it about finding the right doctor? Is it about cost? Is it about finding yourself at the right facility for medical treatment? Or is there much more than putting it all together?

Let me narrate a personal experience or I would rather call it a horrifying incident, back in the year 2014 when my father was hospitalised in one of the reputed hospitals in New Delhi due to some liver-related issues. He was alright till 4 PM and to be discharged the same day at 10 PM. We all were elated about the news.

So, I reached the hospital at 9 PM to take my father home. while I was waiting for the treating doctor to come to expedite the discharge process, he came but with very bad news. I was told that your father is suffering from last stage Liver cirrhosis. This news broke me and equally surprised me about how can the whole thing changed in the time span of just 6 hours. What all have had happened in the last hours to have made them break such news. Everything stopped for me for a while as I was stoned. I asked firmly so doctor what should we do now and we were told the liver transplant is the only option and that too needs to be revalidated after a few medical tests. I quickly gave my consent to start the process. I never ever dreamed of challenging the verdict of the treating doctor. Fortunately, my brother in law came to our rescue and decided another way around. He started making calls to his contacts in India and overseas to seek advice and in the meantime, decided to shift him overnight to another hospital that specialises in treating liver conditions.

To my ever biggest surprise, Medical Director overruled the opinion of a liver transplant. Perhaps, he mentioned that my father is not even suffering from Liver Cirrhosis. That remark was a lifesaver. My father continued to receive treatment for about 3 months and got discharged without any need for a liver transplant.

It triggered me to think deep and deep into the whole bunch of questions. What if I had gone ahead with the doctor's decision? What if my father had undergone a liver transplant which was technically not required? What if we did not seek a second opinion? What if we were not able to make a timely decision?

There is a lot and a lot that I had deliberated within my own self and it made me invest my time and energy in healthcare. I decided to step into the world of healthcare to do something that can deliver peace of mind with the right advice and right decision.

In the next article, I will narrate what have I been up to since then.