 Thank you sir. How are you? I am good sir. Where do you stay? Sir currently I am staying here in Delhi for the preparation. Otherwise I stay in Pothoragar itself. Do you do your schooling from Dehradun? Sir till class 10th I have studied in Pothoragar and 11th and 12th from Wellum Girl School in Dehradun. And this is your MBBS course? Sir this also from Dehradun Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences. Is it in proper Dehradun or something? Sir it is in Jolly Grant, 30 kilometers from Dehradun. Jolly Grant near the airport? Yes sir. You say newly established college? Sir no, the college was established in 1995. However the change in certain regulatory guidelines and now it has been re-established in 2012 under the name. But I think it was some other name was there previously. So previously it was called as H I H T Himalayan Institute and Hospital Trust. And now the name has been changed to Swami Rama Himalayan University. Tell me something about your finger printing pattern and blood group. Sir this was a research project that we did as a part of forensic medicine wherein we studied the fingerprint patterns and correlation between the blood group of 100 students of the 2013 batch. And the findings that we got were that the loop pattern of fingerprint is more common in the people with AB blood group whereas the arch pattern is common in AB blood group. And also the other finding that we found was that loop is prevalent in maximum number of people whereas archers is the pattern which is prevalent in least number of people. So further research has been done on this? Sir we could not follow it up because it was a we had certain constraints with regard to this. But any idea whether some research has gone into by some other institutes? Sir a lot of places research has been done on this similar topic but no statistically significant correlation as of now has been found. Each of the institution has been trying to establish some significance but no certain data is available. What is royal disease? Sir if I am not mistaken it refers to hemophilia which is a bleeding disorder characterised by deficiency of factor 8 which is responsible for clotting of the blood. As a result of the deficiency of factor 8 there is prolonged bleeding in a patient which can also result in death. It is known as royal because in the British time Queen Victoria is said to have this disease. Inherited. And we celebrated this some word hemophilic day? Yes sir we do. 3 days back. Medical education is a state subject? So education pursues in the concurrent list and medical education is also the part of the central government's derivative. Pneumonic device. Are you heard of that? Yes sir. So it is a device to produce sound? I am not sure sir. Okay. Have you heard of vipgur? Yes sir. So is it with regard to the spectrum of light? We have different colours. So that is the abbreviation we remember? We remember why we have this abbreviation? Sir because of the arrangement in the wavelength. So we can remember the names? Yes sir. So that is the device that you do something to remember the names like abbreviations? Okay. Yes sir. Can you give me some other example? One is remembering name? Yes sir. So similar examples of mnemonics? Something connected with spelling we remember something else? So I am sorry. Like weak? Weak and weak. You know weak? There are two different spellings are there. Yes sir. So how do we remember that? W E E K W E E A K. Yes sir. If it is double, it means it is strong. It cannot be that weak. Yes sir. Okay. Ecosystem types? Ecosystem can be classified on the basis of whether it is, it could be a species based ecosystem. Just tell me what types of ecosystems? I am sorry. Diksha? Yes sir. Can you tell me about Pithoragadh district? So Pithoragadh is a hilly district present in the northeastern part of the state of Putra Khan. It shares its borders with the two neighboring countries which is China and Nepal. It is famous for its calm, serene atmosphere and scenic beauty. And it hosts a number of pilgrimage places which are a tourist attraction such as Patal, Bhubaneshwar, Dharchara etc. Okay. You are a doctor? Yes sir. What do you bring to administration from being a doctor? Sir, as we have seen with the recent COVID-19 pandemic that the knowledge of health is very important with regard to administration. So if I am given an opportunity, I believe that I can work towards the upgradation of the health infrastructure in the country more specifically with regard to the challenges that we have. For example, the lack of trained manpower or the rural urban divide because I have a better understanding of the system. So that is the primary area that I can work with. What do you understand about telemedicine and what are the advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine? Sir, telemedicine refers to utilization of ICT devices for bringing about the healthcare especially to the rural and far off places. So the other aspect that how it is helpful, it is helpful in the regard that one, we are able to better utilize our resources especially with India where we have a crunch of doctors at present and other paramedic staff. Sir, second advantage is it also helps in evidence-based decision making and it can also help the timely healthcare can be provided with the help of telemedicine and government is currently working in this regard. Limitations? Sir, limitations with regard to India is most importantly the lack of infrastructure because internet connectivity is very limited here. So the approach is a little problematic. So the integration because the manpower is not trained in a way that they are able to. So we need both trained personnel at one end and the other who is able to understand. So that kind of synergy needs to be brought in. You said evidence-based consulting. Yes, sir. But in physical consulting compared to telemedicine, you have the ability to bridge the disease of the person better. Yes, sir. So don't you think evidence-based decision making is one of the shortcomings of telemedicine? Sir, I said it as an advantage because we are able to better record the data whereas in physical consultation, generally the doctor would forget or the data would get lost in time. Whereas if we are using the telemedicine services, we can also record the data. So it helps in correlation of the disease in a particular area. Practical application of AI in healthcare? Cases where it is already being applied? So AI can be used for diagnosis of a number of diseases, especially cancers is one particular area where we are using it. Apart from that, health conditions such as skin diseases where it is most prominently being used. So apart from that, we can also use AI in the treatment of diseases same as it goes for telemedicine that in the far off places, we can utilize it for the treatment part. Do you think in 10, 15, 20 years the profession of the doctor would be completely different and it will decline with the rise of technology? Sir, I don't think it will decline. It will get either more amplified I would say because technology cannot work without a human expertise. So we will always need certain guidance from the trained professionals who will be able to direct in which way the technology has to be used. With respect to doctors gaining education abroad, especially in CIS countries, how do you look at this? Are these doctors trained to work in India and what kind of challenges do we have? So the primary reason why doctors are going abroad first is for the medical education because we have less number of colleges and medical seats and there are more number of applicants. Also the fee issue which is high in India and less abroad. So the challenges when they come back to working is one that the curriculum is a little different what is taught in the West and the European countries and the diseases that are more prevalent in the Indian setup. So that is one. Second with regard to the adjustment with infrastructure because they are known to have better advanced facilities. So they are more equipped to work in that environment which is not available currently in Indian setup. Aayush medicine is only popular in India or there are certain segments of Aayush medicine which is popular globally also? Sir, Aayush is an integrated term where Ayurveda and Yoga are primarily and Siddha which is derived from the Indian, has the Indian origin. Whereas if we talk about Yunani then it is more common in Central Asian countries it has a Persio-Arabic origin whereas homeopathy is very common in Germany. So it is a system that is prevalent across the world and is being practiced currently in different forms. Letter writing. Do you think the art of letter writing is lost? Certainly sir, I believe that it has been lost in time because of the advent of technology. We are now more focused with using WhatsApp or text messages because we believe it is more faster. However, I am of the opinion that we need to restore the usage of letter writing more than reliance on text or other forms of messages. What has been the impact of texting and SMSing and WhatsApp on language? Sir, a new language has come up which is not very formal. It is an informal jargon that we use in the text messaging. So sometimes there is a problem that we are not able to rightly communicate what we would want to with the usage of such kind of language. Whereas if I compare it with how we go with the letter writing, therein we use a more systematic form of language that is more easily understood, has more of affection with regard to whatever we would want to convey and there is more clarity as well. Last question. Can you name some prominent freedom fighters who are known for letter writing? Sir, the one that I can remember now is Jawaharlal Nehru. He wrote the letters to Indira Gandhi. So Gandhi Ji also has been known to write letters. I am not even sure. Okay. What is the inland letter? Sir, inland letter is a letter which is written within the country. The postal department issues in inland and we can write a letter to Thra. What is the cost usually of inland letter? So I am not aware because not aware. So how do you practice letter writing? Sir, I generally write letters to friends and family for special occasions or if I would want to express certain thoughts. I tend to write it in a piece of paper and also because I do a little bit of painting so I try and create more borders and make it more personal and I just generally send it by an envelope. What is the cost of stamp that is put on an envelope? Sir, I purchase 10 stamps for 5 rupees that is what I have got. So 50 rupees? Are you sure? That much is required? So that is the last that I paid for so. Okay. Do you think the postal department has kept up with the private sector courier services? So there are challenges because postal delivery has been known to be delayed and many a times that the letters don't reach on time so we have had the advent of private courier services that are coming up. In this regard I think more upgradation needs to be done with the way postal department has been functioning so that both government as well as the private sector are able to deliver similar services. Okay. How is postal department gearing up for the e-commerce services? So I am not aware of the specifics but probably that certain items they can attach to the e-commerce giants and deliver items. Okay. All right. You also do aerobics. Yes. Is there any difference between Pilates and aerobics? So aerobics is more of the exercise that involves cardiovascular activity whereas Pilates is more of muscle strengthening and aerobics has more element of music in that whereas Pilates differs in this regard that less music is utilized there. The Zumba is also becoming popular. How is it different from aerobics or the same genre? So the difference between aerobics and Zumba lies more in the fact that Zumba traces its origin from the Latin American dance form. So it has more of the dance music coordination whereas aerobics does not have that dance music coordination. All right. So you have achieved a distinction in microbiology also in your college. Yes. Are we heading towards the end game of COVID-19? Sir, as of now I am not in a state to say that we are towards the end of COVID-19 because we have recently seen a number of variants and mutants that are coming up. But we are certainly better equipped with how we will be able to deal with it and also that the level of immunization and resistance in the community has increased. So maybe in next two to three years we are able to cope up and it will become like a normal common cold that we have is what I guess. So generally the virus mutates and becomes more mild or more stronger? So it cannot be said with certainty because mutation is not known that what sort of a mutation will happen. If the mutation tends to increase its potency, it might become dangerous. It can also become milder with time. Okay, all right. Pythoragar, how well is it connected to the other cities of Uttarakhand? So in the recent times the connectivity has certainly improved but compared to the other places that we have in Uttarakhand the connectivity is still an issue. The only major means of communication that we have is the roadways. There is an on and off airline service that is functional in this city but it is not as frequent as we would expect it to be. Which is the nearest airport to Pythoragar? So, Panthnagar airport is a recent airport which is almost 200 kilometers from the... And the nearest railway station? So it is the Karbudam railway station at Haldawani. So it falls in the Kumawa region, right? Yes, sir. What is the cultural difference between Kumawa and Garwal region? So there are a lot of practices that primarily differ in the Kumawa and Garwal region. First is the language. We tend to speak Kumawani and there is Garwali that is widely prevalent. A lot of festivals that are celebrated in Kumawa not as common as in Garwal. For example, we have the Harela festival or we have the Hill Jatra which is common. We have a Chalya dance which is common. So other thing would be with regard to paintings like the Eppon painting is a common form which is practiced in Kumawa but not in Garwal. Certain traditional distinctions, for example women tend to wear Rangali Pichora which is not seen in Garwal region. So these are some of the prominent differences. Okay, last question. What are the challenges with respect to health insurance in India? So there are two major challenges with health insurance. One is the ability of government to provide that because right now that has not been the primary focus of the government. Second would be the acceptability of people because people are also not very aware and they are not at present in a state to accept it. So I believe these are the two major challenges. Why? And the government is having Ayushman Bharat? So the aim of Ayushman Bharat is to provide, is to reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure that the people face especially with regard to secondary and tertiary care. It is a form of health insurance as you have mentioned but it is still functioning in the limited capacity catching only to the poorer sections of the society and not all inclusive. I think there is one more issue with regard to health insurance which is they generally demand hospitalization. But now since due to the evolving technologies we have only few hours of daycare procedures, right? So how is that getting addressed? So I am not sure of the specifics but what I can remember is for example we have included mental health as an aspect in insurance. So mental health, a lot of time the treatment does not require hospitalization. So that is one step that we are taking towards addressing this problem. Others I am not aware of. Do you think that the women officers in civil services face some sort of an implicit bias? Ma'am the bias is with regard to how the society accepts because in the form that we have been very used to seeing male officers. So that is one challenge that female officers face. Second is with regard to how there is a lack of infrastructure facilities. For example facilities of toilets or proper facilities so that they can accommodate with their spouse or family responsibilities also that they have. So those are certain challenges I believe that the female officers face in the service. Okay. Do you think there has been some sort of a lack of synergy between the state and the civil society which is hindering in achieving some sort of a more transformative agenda or a more transformative change? Ma'am certainly there are some hiccups that keep occurring in between within the state and the civil society. Mainly with regard to how the civil societies are regulated. For example in the recent times we saw that there was amendment brought to the FCRAR. But at the same time we have also seen coordination between the state and civil society. If I can cite an example of the midday meal scheme where the state has been working with Akshaya Patra Foundation and they have been working together. So I believe that if the two organizations are able to come together we will be able to better achieve our targets compared to the present. Okay. What other ways can you suggest in order to bridge this gap? Ma'am the other ways that could be is with regard to civil societies would be that we are able to bring in more understanding. There needs to be more dialogue between the government and the civil society with regard to the demands that they address. And also a targeted approach where in specific sectors are targeted for example health or education. Where in the two can work together for better delivery of services. Okay. What do you understand by bioterrorism? Ma'am bioterrorism refers to usage of biological weapons such as bacteria, virus, fungus etc. That can result in diseases in a large percentage of population and it can be a form of terrorism because it can result in massive death and destruction to the recipient country or the population. Was coronavirus an example of bioterrorism? Ma'am as of today I cannot say if it was a bioterrorism because the investigation with regard to how it specifically came in the society or across the world is still undergoing but something like this could be a weapon of bioterrorism like usage of a virus could be a bioterrorism. Your understanding about Ayushman Bharat digital mission what is it? Ma'am Ayushman Bharat digital mission is a recently launched mission by the government of India which aims at creation of digital health IDs, a digital repository of the healthcare practitioners and the hospitals that are available across the country with the aim of better delivery of healthcare services in a sense that it will work towards evidence based policy making and better utilization of healthcare resources. Last question to you. So as civil servants there has been a lot of debate and a lot of tension that you see between the medical officers in a district and the DM. Do you think you coming from a background of the medical profession what are your views on the DM sort of exercising an excessive power over medical officers in the garb of healthcare? Because at times the medical officers can better understand the situation. DM is sitting in his office or even if he is on field visits but the point is that the medical officers are on the location and they are dealing it on a day to day basis. So they somehow dictate the terms on the medical officers. Do you think they hinder the efficiency of the doctors and as a consequence also hinder the overall healthcare in the district as district magistrates? Moment is true that the medical officers of somebody from a medical background has better understanding of how the healthcare system works. But the district magistrate is certainly not an hindrance to the work because the facilities of the infrastructure with the working of the hospitals or recruitment etc. has to be done by an administrative authority not the district magistrate per se but the administration at large. There are certain cases where there is a tussle that happens over infrastructure or regulatory issues. But in my opinion the two should work together because they will certainly bring a synergy in the working and will enhance the outcome of the working. Okay, your interview is over.