Family That Had the Means

¶ … family that had the means to ensure that I received a first-class education and parents who always encouraged me and emphasized the importance of my academic success. Almost as far back as I can remember, I was interested in science and in the scientific method of thinking, even in non-scientific areas. For me, there is no contradiction between science and spirituality at all and I believe that scientific discovery is one of the ways that God helps us to help ourselves, both as individuals and as a society. Because I always wanted to be a doctor, I chose Science as my major course of study for the Higher Secondary Certificate Examination, which I passed in 2004.

I secured admission in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery course that same year and then spent five years studying the basic sciences as well as the clinical sciences that related to the practice of dentistry. During my training, I encountered countless patients from the lowest socioeconomic circumstances who braved incredible journeys for dental procedures and treatments that many of take entirely for granted in this day and age, even in a developing country like India. Many of these patients suffered with tremendous pain that would have been completely unnecessary if even the most basic dental care were more available in some of the remote regions of my country. Others had lost most if not all of their teeth by middle adulthood, and some recounted stories of friends and relatives who had actually died from the consequences of untreated dental conditions that eventually became acute risks to their health because of systemic infections. I was amazed at how many people lack access to the simplest forms of preventative dental hygiene, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss.

These experiences really affected me and motivated me to change my career path from clinical medicine to administrative health care. My inspiration for defining a productive life has always been greatly influenced by Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi and I came to the realization that I could contribute more to the betterment of my society and to the welfare of a larger number of people by directing my energies toward a career in administrative health care than I could ever possibly achieve by practicing clinical medicine. As clinicians, even the most successful of us can only affect a relatively small number of individuals in our careers. However, as health care administrators and public advocates and educators, we can actually help transform our societies from communities where only a relatively small number of people have access to modern health care services into communities in which adequate health care services and access to basic preventative medicine become widespread and more evenly distributed throughout the human community.