In Conversation: P Venugopal on His Inspiring Memoir ‘Heartfelt’

With an illustrious career of more than forty years as a cardiologist par excellence, the journey of P. Venugopal from a small town to AIIMS is one of resilience and hard work.

In conversation with HarperBroadcast, Venugopal talks about his stellar career and his memoir, Heartfelt.

Read the conversation here:

Q. Your journey from a small town to being the director of India’s premier medical institute, the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is one of resilience and endurance. Please tell us about some memorable milestones.

PV: When I look back, it’s with very mixed feelings. There have been scintillating highs and abysmal lows; with very little in between!

I came to AIIMS at 16 years of age. In the 1950’s we were still very parochial and narrow in our acceptance of people from other parts of the country, and the torment and anguish I experienced is something that I’ve spoken of in the book for the very first time.

Then came the highs of scholarly achievement; to be conferred a gold medal at the hands of Prime Minister Nehru still brings back very warm memories. My stint in the US, in an alien culture, had its own highs and lows, and to date leaves me with some unresolved dilemmas.

Coming back to India and battling every possible mindset and institution to set up the Cardiothoracic Centre, a modern marvel of its time is undoubtedly one of the achievements that I’m proud of. We were unbelievably primitive in our systems back then, and it was a constant uphill struggle to establish what became a gold standard for others to follow.

The country’s first successful heart transplant is what people largely know me by, but we introduced so many cutting-edge processes and solutions, which I’ve talked about at some length. But what remains most memorable for me is the affection and recognition that has come to me from my patients, various governments, and the vast public who followed my struggles to uphold the autonomy of our institutions.

Q. What was your feeling after realising that you just performed India’s first successful heart transplant surgery? 

PV: Numbness, apprehension, euphoria, fulfillment, renewed hope…. I think I lived all these emotions in the first 48 hours after the transplant. It took time to sink in. I remember being constantly on edge to ensure that the critical post-operative period went smoothly, as in a number of transplant attempts elsewhere, this is where the patient was lost. Then the euphoria started swirling around me, from the media headlines to the Parliament felicitation to the hope that lit up the faces of my other patients awaiting a transplant.

The overriding feeling was one of fulfilment. I felt I had realized a promise that I’d made to myself and achieved the dream that my mentor Dr N. Gopinath and I had seen together. I now had the confidence that my team and I could bring hope to thousands languishing with end-stage heart disease.

Q. You are credited with having performed more than 50K heart surgeries in your illustrious career. What keeps you going?

PV: The drive to do more and do better never allowed me to rest. And the fact that in our country there are so many waiting for treatment with so few resources and recourse just propelled me on and on. Every night, I’d close my eyes not with a feeling of accomplishment or rest, but with the thought of what all I had to do the next day. In the early 1970’s we were performing one operation a week. After the cardiothoracic centre became operational, we were doing 8 to 10 cases every day. We did away with waiting lists; whoever was ready, and if the matching blood was available, we’d operate. From four-and-a-half OTs when we started the centre, we brought the number up to nine in the early 2000’s. In parallel was the relentless effort to improve our equipment, processes and the quality of patient care.

In retrospect, we struggled incessantly, and I wish it was today that I was stepping into the profession where we have so many advancements and innovations at our fingertips.

So, the short answer is that I just had to keep going; the luxury of time and rest did not exist.

Q. We have heard many stories of your relationships with your patients and how you follow a patient-centred approach in your practice. Do you have some fond memories or relationships with some patients who became your friends?

PV: For me a patient was never a ‘Bed Number’; they are individuals with personalities, problems and preferences. Behind them are their families and loved ones who put all their faith and hopes in my hands. I have always been a stern doctor, not many can accuse me of having a ‘bedside manner’! But, I deeply felt their suffering. Perhaps they instinctively sensed this behind my tough exterior. So many of them have stayed in touch over the decades and have become extended family.

Contrary to popular thought, some of the easiest patients have been the ‘VIPs’ – politicians, celebrities, and people of renown. I have enjoyed beautiful and long-standing relationships with many of them, and I’ve spoken about some of them in detail in my memoir. 

Q. What do you like to do in your time off from practice and research? Tell us about some of your interests and hobbies.

I know this is not an ideal answer, but the fact is that I actually never had ‘time off’ for many long years. It was work, work and more work. When I’d go abroad during the vacation period, I’d just visit hospitals to see and learn more. After I got married, I spent vacations traveling with my wife and daughter, as it gave me some time with them. In fact, I actually started travelling for pleasure only then. Today, I watch a lot of TV, listen to old Hindi songs and keep connected with friends on social media.

Q. What is the message that you would like to convey to aspiring doctors and surgeons through your memoir?

PV: I actually have a whole chapter where I share lessons from my experiences, beliefs and practice. The overarching one for our young and future practitioners would be – constantly set new goals, see new dreams and then work to realize them. The feeling of fulfillment that comes from accomplishment is unmatched; you soon start competing with your own self and this leads to a better you, a better system and ultimately a happier patient. Everything else is incidental, and what you merit will come your way, anyway!

In conversation with Kartik Chauhan for HarperBroadcast