Decentralisation can work wonders for the crumbling system, says Dr Shakir Hussain, a leading neurointerventionist
Decentralisation can work wonders for the crumbling system, says Dr Shakir Hussain, a leading neurointerventionist
The doctor from the nondescript town of Pratapgarh, Rajasthan, has come a long way. And he has a ready prescription for the ailing healthcare system in the country.
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Change we can: Dr Shakir Hussain |
'Family baggage' may have led him to take up medicines, but it was sheer hard work that earned Dr Shakir Hussain a name for himself in the field. He did his DM in Neurology from Delhi University for which there are just two seats. "That's lot of competition," he said.
Dr Hussain comes from a family of Hakims and his father too was an allopathic doctor. He did his initial medical education from RNT medical college, Rajasthan and after his DM (neurology) went to Zurich for specialisation in Neurointervention.
Dr Hussain, currently the chief of Department of NeuroEndoVascular Therapy and Stroke at the Capital's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, spoke to MiD DAY about Muslims in the medical profession and the general well being of the healthcare system in the country.
So many years of experience in the field, do you think more Muslims are taking up medical profession?Muslims are steadily coming up in the medical profession. Ten years back where there were just one or two people from the community in a batch, there are at least 10-15 now.
In fact, it's not just in India. Muslim doctors are closing the ranks with their counterparts from other communities across the globe. If you see the trend closely, there is a huge number of Muslim doctors in the US, though not all of them are Indians.
What is your view of the basic healthcare facilities in the country, especially for Muslims?I don't think there is a religious bias there. Hospitals in the country don't discriminate on the basis of religion.
They are rather class conscious. It's not just Muslims, no poor in this country has access to quality healthcare.
Will the government proposal to construct more hospitals in minority areas help?
Take the case of GTB Hospital in east Delhi, which caters to one of the largest pockets of Muslim population in the city. Most of them are from the lower socio-economic strata. The healthcare delivery at the hospital is very dismal. But I feel more than the neglect of the community, primarily it is the neglect of the poor.
