Shashank Lowanshi sustained a spinal cord injury after a car came hurtling towards the vehicle in which he was travelling, leaving him with no sensation. Despite a 2017 road accident rendering him a paraplegic, 29-year-old Shashank Lowanshi refused to let it get in the way of his medical dreams and is a proud MD in psychiatry today.
Dr Shashank Lowanshi. Pics/Ritika Gondhalekar
In 2017, while returning from a trip, medical student Shashank Lowanshi sustained a spinal cord injury after a car came hurtling towards the vehicle in which he was travelling, leaving him with no sensation from the chest down. What followed were gruelling weeks in the hospital, multiple medical opinions, and intensive physiotherapy. For many, such a setback would have spelt the end of their professional dreams. But not for Lowanshi, now 29, who has an MD in psychiatry and practises at St George’s Hospital.
Opening up about the incident, the doctor, who hails from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, said, “My cousins and I were returning from a trip. It was a narrow road, and suddenly another vehicle came speeding from the opposite direction, and my brother lost control. We met with a major accident that damaged my spinal cord. This led to a complete loss of sensation from the chest down, and I became a paraplegic.”
At the time, Dr Lowanshi had completed two years of his MBBS course from a college in Bhopal and was studying for his third year. “Honestly, the immediate hospitalisation, surgery and medication were the relatively easy part. Losing the ability to move, to feel, to live as I once did — that was overwhelming. Still, I asked my friend to fill the exam form for the third year as I did not want to show a gap,” he stated.
He added, “My father is a general physician back in our small town. My elder sister is also a doctor. So, I knew for sure that, come what may, I want to become a doctor. But the injury left me worried and posed several challenges,” said Dr Lowanshi.
Rocky road to recovery
After getting discharged from the hospital, Dr Lowanshi was well aware that recovery would not happen overnight. “I began looking for physiotherapy options and specialists who would come and treat me at home, as I was in my hometown. After a lot of research and asking around, I learnt about treatment options at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. But I could not continue my treatment beyond 15 days as it was very expensive. After more research, I learnt of the Government Spine Institute and Physiotherapy College in Ahmedabad, where they treat cases like mine and provide wheelchair training,” he said.
Dr Shashank Lowanshi, who practises at the psychiatric OPD ward at St George’s Hospital in Fort
“My parents and I immediately moved there and started my treatment. They have five independent rooms where patients can stay with a family member and undergo treatment. It was a month-long process. However, within a few days, they informed me that the room could no longer be occupied and that the treatment and physiotherapy sessions would now be an OPD service. I requested them to let me stay as I would have had to live out of my suitcase in a hotel. However, due to some undisclosed reasons, they did not allow me. But then, resident doctors who had befriended me after learning that I was a medical student went out of their way and helped get me admitted to an ayurvedic physiotherapy centre opposite the hospital. The resident doctors would come to this facility and provide physiotherapy twice a day. I would also receive physiotherapy once a day at the Spine Institute,” he added.
After receiving treatment in Gujarat, Dr Lowanshi returned to Khandwa and resumed his studies. However, he wasn’t able to appear for his third-year medical exam, which was conducted in 2018. “I had to take a break of almost one and a half years. Since I had already filled the exam form, the medical board considered me as absent due to health issues and allowed me to take both my third and fourth-year exams in 2019 — six months apart,” said Dr Lowanshi, mentioning that his sister, who is a year older than him, was his teacher. “She was also studying for her fourth year of MBBS, so she would teach me her syllabus as part of her revision. Also, my Bhopal college supported with distance learning,” he added.
After overcoming all challenges, Dr Lowanshi completed his MBBS in 2020 with flying colours. But that was not it. He wanted an MD degree.
“In 2021, when I completed my NEET-PG and had some time left till the results were declared, I came in touch with Imran Kureshi, another paraplegic who has now turned into a well-known figure in the community. He was kind enough to come all the way from Mumbai, stay with me for almost a month and train me. He not only gave me physiotherapy sessions but also trained me on how to use a wheelchair, especially while getting down from steps. It was also he who told me about the electric wheelchair that I am currently using,” said Dr Lowanshi.
Jail stint
Before he met Kureshi, from September 2021 to November 2021, to see if he would be able to work as a doctor, Shashank joined Khandwa jail. “However, it was not possible for me to work in that setting, so I quit. After meeting Kureshi, I decided to work on myself more,” he added.
Dr Lowanshi, MD
Dr Lowanshi, meanwhile, read an advertisement regarding a non-academic juniorship at AIIMS Bhopal, the interview of which he cracked. “I worked there in 2022 for three months. Along with that, I was looking for options as to where I could get an MD degree. I asked my HOD if I could check hospitals in Mumbai, considering my condition, as I would need ramps and other modes of proper accessibility if I had to work there as a doctor, and I learnt that I could do it in JJ Hospital. After I applied for my MD, I got admission at JJ under the ‘Person with Disability’ quota. Though the hostel for junior residents wasn’t accessible, the management allowed me to stay in the seniors’ hostel. This year, I finally got my MD in psychiatry from JJ Hospital,” he said.
He then continued his senior residency at JJ Hospital for a while. “But I wanted to work in the de-addiction ward, so I was asked to practise at St George’s Hospital. I continue to stay at JJ Hospital, though. I use my electric wheelchair to get to both spots daily,” said Dr Lowanshi.
Independent spirit
Dr Neha Wadate, a junior of Dr Lowanshi, hailing his pluck, said, “Since the beginning, he has never asked us for any favours or help. Also, we did not have to make any changes within our team to accommodate him.”
Offering advice to those facing adversity, Dr Lowanshi said, “Whatever issues come up in life, just focus on finding solutions instead of complaining, and you will definitely achieve your goals.”
A hospital in Khandwa
Though he is looking forward to treating patients at St George’s psychiatry and de-addiction ward, which will soon be inaugurated, Dr Lowanshi wishes to start a hospital in his hometown and provide psychiatric treatment and spread awareness on mental health. “Had I not had the support of my parents, none of this would have happened. I lost my backbone in this accident, but my parents became my backbone,” he said.
2021
Year Dr Lowanshi completed his NEET-PG
Dr Shashank Lowanshi’s wheels
The wheelchair used by the doctor costs R1 lakh (but the cost varies according to model). It works on a battery and can cover a distance of 25 km in one charge. The doctor’s device can be used for two days at a stretch on one charge. It has a detachable motor and handle, and can be used as a manual wheelchair. It is highly safe, as it cannot go faster than 25 kmph and has a headlight, seatbelt and rearview mirrors.
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