SGPGIMS to get four new centres and increase DM seats: Padma Shri RK Dhiman

Shiksha spoke to Padma Shri Professor RK Dhiman, Director of SGPGIMS. Read here to read excerpts of the interview.

He comes from a humble background and achieved great heights in the field of Medicine. He was recently conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award in Medicine for his exceptional contribution in eradicating Hepatitis, Covid management and for launching and running an extremely successful campaign of organ donation. An organ donor himself SGPGIMS Director Dr RK Dhiman talks about getting Padma Shree, an organ donor campaign run by him, and many more contributions in the field of Medicine…

Q: Please tell us the feeling of being awarded Padma Shri.

A: I am feeling extremely proud to be awarded Padma Shri. I would also like to add one thing the award that has come to me is not only came to me but to my entire team. The award was given to me for my contribution in three main areas: the elimination of Hepatitis C, COVID management in Uttar Pradesh and the organ donation campaign.

Q: We would like to understand your contribution to the eradication of Hepatitis C in 22 districts of Punjab, Covid management in Lucknow, and starting an organ donation campaign by setting up SOTTO.

A: I would first like to tell you about my background. My father was a teacher and my mother was a housewife. The initial education and discipline that come to me is from my home. I belong to a very humble background. My father persuaded me to follow the medical profession. He always said that I must become a doctor. My all-school education is from Hindi medium government schools. Then I got selected for MBBS from King George's Medical College, Lucknow. Taking admission at KGMU was a turning point in my life. I did my MD in medicine from KGMU and next was my doctorate in Medicine in Gastroenterology. I was the first student of KGMU to go outside after competing at the national level test. Next, I got into the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences where now I am a Director.

After joining SGPGIMS, the contributions started from my side, after completing my doctorate in Gastroenterology, I got selected for PGIMER Chandigarh, one of the premier institutes in India after AIIMS in the Department of Hepatology. It was a patient care department and not a teaching, training or DM department. There was not much research either, so I made it an academic department and we started the Doctorate in Medicine which is DM course in Hepatology. Then, we started the liver transplantation program in public hospitals. Not even AIIMS had these programs but we started it. We also started liver ICU care in the Department of Hepatology. This was the first time in India that DM in Hepatology subsequently started in ILBS Delhi and then in other places including Gallore and Kolkata. When we started the liver transplant program we realized that there are not much of organs available for transplantation like the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and pancreas. So, we started the organ donation program in Chandigarh. The program was so successful that we started getting organs which we earlier used to get in foreign countries. In Chandigarh, while getting a driving license, everyone needed to mention whether they opted for organ donation or not. If you see my driving license you will clearly see an organ donor.

In PGI Chandigarh, organ transplant was such a success that we were doing a total of 5200 organ transplants yearly. That was a remarkable achievement and all the students in the DM in Hepatology were exposed to the organ transplantation program. Then, we realized that chronic Hepatitis C and B cause the chronic Hepatitis of the liver and if they remain untreated then the majority of people will get cirrhosis of the liver. If these patients are treated on time the later complications can be prevented. In Punjab, with a population of 3 crores, 3.6% of the population was suffering from Hepatitis C against the national average of 1%. That means Punjab had 3 to 4 % more prevalence. We treated 10 lakh people for Hepatitis C.

We trained the primary care providers including doctors, para medicals, nursing staff and technicians on how to diagnose and treat Hepatitis C. In PGI we used to treat one thousand to one thousand five hundred patients of Hepatitis C but after launching this program in Punjab, we treated 48000 patients in the first year only. So, that was a success for us and it was also applauded in the US, and European countries as well as by WHO. We started in June 2016 and on July 28, 2018, on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, the program was accepted by the Central Government as the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program. Now, the program was for the whole country. We started with 25 Centres and now there are 700 and 800 centres across the country.

Q: What are your focus areas as Director of Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS)

A: I have a vision for the next 10 years, we are going to have four centres. Of which one already started, one is to be inaugurated and for the third and fourth centres, the foundation stone will be laid. The one already started is for Emergency Medicine and Regional Transplant Centre. It has 558 beds. There are 210 beds for emergency medicine. The second centre is the Advanced Diabetic Centre. This centre is to help patients suffering from diabetes. 2-3 dreaded complications of diabetes are – eye disease, kidney problems, and skin problems. So, at this centre, under one roof the diabetic patient will get all sorts of care including for complications. About the third and fourth centres, you will be surprised to know that there is no dedicated centre for paediatric treatment in the state. Our institute is basically a super speciality institute where we will provide all treatment for paediatric patients including cardiology department, Urology and others. We are coming with the Advanced Paediatric Centre which will have four departments and 6 units. The government Cabinet has approved and sanctioned the money for it. Fourth Centre is for children born with Congenital heart disease which is about 70,000 alone in Uttar Pradesh. For which we are getting a 60 million grant from a couple in California. It will be a 200 bedded centre.

Q: Does the medical college have any plans to increase the number of seats for admission?

A: When I came the number of beds was 1609, at the moment after the opening of centres it has gone up to 2272 when two more centres will come it will go beyond 3100. This is the increase in the number of beds, so, this will eventually increase the number of DM seats and research.

Q: NMC has asked stakeholders for their feedback on whether the National Exit Test (NExT) should replace the final year MBBS exam. What will you say about that?

A: This is a welcome move if the MBBS final exam will be replaced by the National Exit Test and it will also decide the merit for admission to PG courses. So, it is fine. 

Read more:

• Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College to increase PG seats this year: Dean
• Lady Hardinge Medical College plans to increase UG, PG seats: Director Dr Subhash Giri
• NExT Exam: Docs opine medical education must improve before implementing it