You get established quite early on
Sanchita Guha interviews Dr Rajiv Chhabra, consultant paediatrician and neonatal intensivist, Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon.
What is the overall scenario in paediatrics in India?
There is a demand-supply gap as far as paediatrics is concerned. That is why we have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. One must also note that paediatrics is a branch of medical science that is driven by passion rather than financial rewards.
A paediatrician gets established early on because there are not many super-specialities at this stage in India.
What advice do you have for aspiring pediatricians?
As with any other branch of medicine, one should be hard-working, passionate about the subject. It is a rewarding branch in terms of job satisfaction. But it also requires a lot of patience as (very small) children can only express themselves by crying.
As for career opportunities, the super-speciality at this stage is neonatology, paediatric intensive care. If someone wants to do super-specialisation in other branches, then they have to do DNB courses or be part of an adult training programme or do these courses outside India where fellowship programmes are available — places like the US, UK, Australia and Canada.
How do you interact with very young patients?
A doctor must have a very keen eye for observing symptoms. Talk to a child as you would talk to an adult. Most of the diseases nowadays are lifestyle-related, and if a child is guided towards healthy habits, s/he will follow that always.
Author: HT Horizons
Date: 24th Dec., 2009
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