The Great Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgery

Abstract

EARLY LIFEBorn in a middle class family at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, in 1957, and soon after birth, his family shifted to Rajasthan, where he spent his initial childhood days and completed schooling. He was the eldest of six siblings with very average performance in studies initially, but changed gear once he reached the formative years of preparation for medical entrance test (premedical test). From early childhood, he was interested in stage and cultural activities and in fact won many prizes too. PRENEUROSURGICAL MEDICAL EDUCATIONAfter completing his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from SMS Medical College, Jaipur, he did his MS in general surgery from the same medical college. While doing his postgraduate training, he got married to Madhubala, a woman of steely resolve and great understanding. But, soon after passing his MS, life took a very different turn when he joined the Rajasthan state medical services as a civil assistant surgeon. He was posted in a very small village in a dispensary with no surgical or indoor facilities whatsoever. All the pleas and requests to transfer him to a primary health center where some surgical work could be done fell on deaf ears and yielded ridicule, humiliation, and advice to resign, if not happy. Due to family's financial compulsions, it was not possible to do so, but the fire in the belly to move forward in life and the intense desire to break the shackles made him apply and appear for entrance tests for neurosurgical training all over the country. It was a very hard task to arrange books for entrance tests in a subject he had hardly any exposure to, while working in a very small remote village. He always performed well in theory, but failed in viva voce. After completing one full round of almost all national neurosurgical centers, he reached Postgraduate Institute (PGI) of Medical Education and Research Chandigarh for the second time, Professor VK Kak recognized him as a repeater and wondered that he was still not selected! On hearing about the lack of practical experience as the reason, he agreed and commented that he had a vacant senior registrar's post, but only for 2 months, while the second entrance exam was still 6 months away. In the evening when Professor Kak was in his office, Dr Singh met him and pleaded him for that post. Professor Kak was surprised as the post was only for 2 months and, moreover, Dr Singh was already in a permanent government job! He straight away refused, but on Dr Singh's repeated pleas and on realization that young man was highly frustrated, he relented and agreed. But, he took a promise that Dr Singh would resign from the government job and would not blame him if he were still not selected. He asked Dr Singh to come back next day morning to confirm on this after he had taken his family in confidence.That evening, Dr Singh talked to various people, on phone, including his lot of friends and family members about this equation. Everybody except his father and wife were dead against this decision. Medico friends were aware of ...