What was the idea of launching a YouTube channel?
The channel is part of a larger launch. People, not only in India but all over the world, are unaware and do not have access to world class international standards in health. When I moved from the West, the goal was to scale medicine using a combination of smart media, technology, and services. The idea was simple: in India in particular, we have 1.35 billion people and only about 1.8 million doctors, of whom one million are allopathic practitioners and only two per cent go to rural areas. So I decided to use all of our subsets (my tech background, my media background, and my 20-year health career as a heart surgeon) and put them together to get a better awareness and appreciation of what they needed to do. .
How did the strategy change during the coronavirus pandemic?
This year, in particular, we realized the need for evidence-based, up-to-date, well-researched information. So we decided to focus 100% on healthcare. The channel became a means to attract people and start a dialogue. I would always tell my patients that 50% of the journey to health is in your head. If you do not check the actual process and do not understand it, it is very difficult to process the procedure.
What is there for a patient?
Let’s be honest, as doctors, we don’t have the infrastructure or the time to spend with patients, telling them every minute detail of what’s happening to them. I was trained and educated in the United States and spent a lot of time in India. I am a well-trained and well-trained surgeon, who now returns here to serve his country and its people. But no matter how hard I work, the best I can do is operate on three to five patients a day. By the end of the year, 350 to 500 patients enjoyed my services, but there are a billion people on the planet. I wanted to take care of the growing population and do something that would really change people’s lives.
We have some of the best doctors in the world, who pour their heart, soul and love into what they do, but there are also a lot of patients. The patient should be the main part of the show. As a doctor, I want them to make their own decision based on all the information I provide them. But since each person is different and one has to take into account their past medical history, their family history, their socioeconomic trajectory, the place where they live, to turn it into a personalized report. I hope to be able to improve your life expectancy and your useful life thanks to this. Once successful in India, we will be able to implement the model worldwide.
During the first months of the outbreak, there was a lot of fear of the virus …
As a doctor, I constantly try to shatter myths. During the pandemic, we worked to dispel doubts that caused a lot of anxiety and fear at the onset of the outbreak. When people know what the risk factors are and what symptoms to consider, a lot of fear is removed and educated when they need medical attention. We also did an episode about ordering food, which was an overproduction, because people were very confused if it was safe. I did the research for them and found that there was no evidence to support the fact that the new coronavirus was a foodborne illness. In India we have known for a long time that the preparation and handling of food is key. We put it all together to conclude that if food was handled properly and heated to a certain temperature, all viruses would be destroyed.
What do you want to do with the channel in the long run?
It’s the beginning of something bigger called Pathfinder Health Sciences, which is a medium created to entertain and educate through a combination of long, medium and short content, patients will be able to create a control panel to empower themselves. We will keep them up to date with everything they are going through in the language of lay people instead of medical jargon because, like it or not, people are afraid of a white coat. I want to make them feel like they have a doctor in the family. When I say doctor, I mean a healthcare system, made up of experts from the best labs, hospitals and government services.
I think here is an opportunity to improve people’s lives. Through scripting content, we aim to inform people about medical issues so that they remember what the causes, symptoms, and options are. When you tell them like that, it sticks; I met him through my kids watching medical programs on TV. The problem right now is that people don’t know when to seek medical help. They only rush to the doctor when they are sick, after ignoring the symptoms for days. Wouldn’t it be great to have an engine dashboard with an engine control light to educate you on what’s good and bad? It’s like GPS.
What did you think of the way India handled the pandemic?
I am very proud of how India fought the pandemic and I have to thank all the people in the front line trenches. I have interviewed many for the channel; They are the real heroes, you know, the front-line workers, the police, with the governor, the workers, and others, because they put their own lives and those of their families on the line for all of us. And secondly, I think the government acted very quickly in enforcing a closure; I think we were ahead of the curve. I am very proud to be here; you have seen what has happened in some western countries. We should be grateful to all those responsible, as well as to all my colleagues in the medical fraternity and the boys in the field.
What changes did you implement in your home to ensure the safety of your family when the outbreak was worst?
My 88-year-old mother-in-law is a beloved; I love him very much. We had to take extra precautions. I have a team that was kind enough to stay with us and help us with the office and home; they receive a lot of credit for keeping us all safe. At the same time, he was working with the Prime Minister, Prime Minister, BMC and some foundations to figure out how to move forward because it was a new disease.