I am a retired civil servant and had to be admitted to the Emergency section of one of the hospitals in Gurgaon following complaints of stomach distension and heaviness in the chest. The ECG was considered normal by the doctor on duty and my BP was normal (120/80) as well.
A senior doctor at the hospital felt otherwise and suggested other tests, including angiography. Following this, angioplasty for the insertion of one stent was recommended.
Thereafter, for reasons not known or explained, they inserted four stents. The entire procedure was faulty and poorly handled and without any standby surgical team. As a result of this, my condition deteriorated rapidly in the next two days to that the extent the chances of my survival, according to the doctors attending on me, seemed minimal.
Faced with this crisis, my family decided to seek medical opinion at Artemis Hospital. It was Dr Sunil Prakash, Head of Nephrology and Transplant Service at Artemis, who took the decision to accept my case against all odds. I was brought to Artemis with cardiogenic shock and all that this entails as well as sepsis. I was on full life support all along. The initial week, when I was on CRRT at the hospital, was the most crucial for my survival, as this required not only state of the art equipment but also considerable medical skills. Both were in ample evidence at Artemis. It was not only the professional attainments of Dr Sunil Prakash but also his very personalised and gentle treatment that were an example to his other colleagues and which always gave me the courage to battle on.
The ICU team led by Dr R K Mani, Head of Pulmonology and in charge of the ICU, and his able team of doctors, took care of me throughout my stay at the hospital and restored me to good health.
I owe my survival to the excellent medical attention given to me throughout my ten week stay at Artemis and post hospitalisation care including physiotherapy which has put me back on my feet.
I wish to put on record my appreciation and gratitude and that of my family for all that was done for me at Artemis.
Vikram Sood,
Secretary (R) retd.
Cabinet Secretariat
Govt. Of India