Bengaluru traffic is quite infamous for keeping people on the roads for hours. However, it could not stop a duty-bound doctor from leaving everyone behind as he ran for 45 minutes to cover the 3 km distance to the hospital to operate on a patient.
Dr Govind Nandkumar, a consultant in Surgical Gastroenterology at the Manipal Hospitals in Sarjapur, saw his car stuck in traffic 3 km from the hospital, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I live in central Bengaluru. It takes me 20-40 minutes to reach the hospital depending on traffic,” Nandkumar told South First.
“Last Tuesday, it rained heavily and I was stuck on the Outer Ring Road, in the last stretch, which I could usually clear in five minutes in a car,” he recalled.
However, the traffic was quite heavy on this particular day. “I thought it would clear in a few minutes, but it did not happen. When I checked on Google Maps, it was showing 45 minutes,” said Nandkumar.
After the traffic did not clear for 10 minutes, it was time for him to decide what to do with the patient who was waiting for his arrival to undergo a gallbladder laparoscopic surgery.
“The patient was without food and water, waiting for the operation. It was a hard time for the patient, who was waiting to get operated on, and was anxious. I had to decide whether to cancel the surgery or reach the hospital some other way,” Nandkumar lay out his dilemma.
Decision time
“I run and work out for my personal health,” he asserted. His driver’s presence in the car added to that, and things became clear for the surgeon.
“I left the car with him and crossed to the right side of the ring road, as there is a footpath there and it doesn’t have many crossings, and ran to the hospital,” said Nandkumar.
He reached the hospital on time and operated on his patient.
Then, when he went to the OPD to treat other patients, many who had made appointments with him had not arrived due to the traffic, he said.
“Many of my patients did not reach that day, and my colleague reached quite late because they got stuck in traffic. My driver reached the hospital after two and a half hours,” said Nandkumar.
He added that he has made such runs several times.
“As I exercise regularly, it’s not that difficult for me to move around on foot. I walked to the hospital several times when the situation demanded it,” said the surgeon.
He said when any city grows, there will obviously be infrastructural issues, due to which traffic jams will occur.
“I have lived in New York, but decided to come to Bengaluru and work here as I love this city. It has its own vibrance, and weather that you cannot find anywhere, but traffic is an issue. If people decide to walk to their office if it is quite near to their home, it will be good for their health as well as they will not get stuck in it. Many times when I walk on the footpath, bikers come on it, which should not be there, so as citizens we also have to take responsibility,” said Dr Nandkumar.
