Dr G.S.S. Mohapatra, Founder, Orissa Centre for L.i.f.e. recently sat with NewsX for a candid chat as a part of NewsX India A-List.
Talking about why he chose to be a gynaecologist, Dr Mohapatra said, “I always believed that women’s health matters the most. When you check the health of a woman, you check the health of society. I have been raised by a strong woman, I married a strong woman and I always felt that whenever you can take care of a women’s needs, right from her sexual health, her reproductive health, help her through her childbearing years and then finally, go on to help her with treating cancer like cancer of the ovaries and uterus, then what better than that. That is why I chose to become a gynaecologist.”
He said, “I felt it was a matter of great honour but during my PG days, the schedule became very monotonous doing those caesarean sections and gynaecological surgeries and at that point of time, the concept of laparoscopy was just creeping in, and, that idea of doing keyhole surgeries and removing huge tumours through very minor, 5 mm and 1 cm holes fascinated me, and that’s why I developed the idea and fascination in me to get trained under stalwarts in India. I then went to Italy, France, and Germany to meet the stalwarts of endometriosis and then finally return and pass on the same to other colleagues and juniors as well. That’s why, today, I stand here after having done more than 15,000 laparoscopic surgeries.”
He further added, “Infertility specialist is again another thing which I find myself blessed to be, because, when you see a childless couple running from pillar to post, from one fertility clinic to another in search of a miracle and they don’t find one, it is a lot, it puts a lot of mental, social, and psychological stress. When you are able to give them a positive result then the smiles on their faces are unimaginable, unfathomable. So, I feel happier than them when a childless couple conceives. So, that is how I call myself a laparoscopic surgeon by choice and an obstetrician by compulsion.”
Dr Mohapatra further spoke about his background and the hardships he had to face. “Coming from a very, very remote town in Orrisa and then going to become a successful gynaecologist was not at all easy because I remember when I was a kid and was preparing for my entrance examination, I used to get fascinated by reading a magazine called, Junior Science Refresher, and even getting a copy of that magazine at my place was a very, very difficult and daunting task.”
“I used to walk 3 km a day just to get a glimpse of the magazine and then get inspired by the interview of one topper of anyone entrance examination and I used to ask my dad to purchase those books just for the sake that the topper had topped by reading those books. That’s how I inspired myself, I didn’t know the ABC of that book but I had to purchase it just to do well and that is how I inspired myself and went on to become a gynaecologist, and I also believe that in spite of doing so much of hardships, doing so many laparoscopic surgeries, today, I feel blessed that it was a difficult task but an enjoyable one and a memorable one because whatever I am doing today, it is because of the smiles, blessings and wishes of the patients who have been with me. I am here today all because of my patients,” said Dr Mohapatra.