Tongue in cheek, the doctor draws from his quarter century of experience, a cocktail of thoughts and emotions aimed at the moments of truth in a doctor’s life. A remarkably candid book, it looks at the aspirations that lead individuals to enter this field, the medical education, the profession of medicine in recent years, the attitudes of patients towards treatment and the doctors, and, importantly, the increasing role of commercial motives in shaping all of this. Very boldly stepping outside himself, Kapoor strikes an excellent balance between describing his own career development objectively and relating it to the larger medical and ethical issues that are adversely affecting the field. The discourse is built up gradually, beginning with an insightful insider’s look at the behavior of doctors, patients and society at large through some hilarious examples gleaned from the author’s own experience. Even as one enjoys a hearty laugh over some of the absurd situations portrayed, one begins to see how many of these, far from being just funny stories, are symptomatic of a larger irony: the medical profession, the profession of healing, is itself in many ways affected by a deep malaise. The ill patient, Mr. A P Dun, renamed ‘Anuspain Dungsting’ by his friends owing to his ailment, recounts in his endearing ‘desi’ style his experiences of different doctors. Power games spice us the interactions of both, the doctors and the patients. There is one God inside the clinic and the other one obviously is above us! An honest assessment for professionals and laymen alike of a vital sector, written with humility and a genuine social conscience.
About The Author :
Imagine Samuel Pickwick with a scalpel and you have Dr Manoj Kapoor. The amiable doctor, in today's world, is the very antithesis of what is generally thought about his tribe. It is assumed that the doctors are a gruff, business-like lot. But he is a boy scout among his fraternity with a broad, infectious smile playing about his lips. His formative years were spent in various cities and countries. Initial schooling started from St Columbus School in Delhi and then he studied in a school in Kabul. The son of an IFS officer and a teacher mother, he cleared his middle school from Delhi Public school, R.K. Puram. High school was completed in the state of Virginia in U.S.A. From then on M.P. Shah medical college, Jamnagar became the alma mater. Intermittent tenures of work and training took him to Delhi but since the last 20 years he has been in Ahmedabad. Being fond of a lot of other activities besides promoting his profession Manoj dedicated his non working hours to serving the NGO'S. As a matter of fact, he held many posts in different non government organizations and served as Area Chairman, Area-3, Round Table India. The thrust of this NGO was on primary education. He also worked with Pratham and Blind People's Association and the Rotary movement. Diligent and sincere work in these organizations helped him mature and learn a lot about life. His global upbringing had already taught him to observe life at close quarters and the gentleman's efforts did not go in vain. Manoj has a facile pen and a matching warm heart. A keen observer of men and matters, the doctor cocks a snoot at his errant compeers in an inoffensive way. As he himself says in his narrative, his intention is not to condemn them but to remind them of their duties. His wife Parul , a leading Gynaecologist, completed her master’s from M.P.Shah medical college, Jamnagar. After 2 years of rural service, the couple started a hospital in Ahmedabad in 1991, on what till the other day used to be outskirts of the city of Ahmedabad. They aptly named it ‘Samarpan’ – services dedicated to the suffering humanity. Many are the qualities of the head and the heart that endear him to his numerous patients. One of them, Varanasi Rama Murthy, a senior journalist, has hit the nail on the head when he says, “It is extremely difficult not to like Dr Manoj Kapoor.”
