Lucknow: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday urged graduating doctors of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) to combine medical excellence with compassion, saying empathy and sensitivity should remain at the heart of health care.Addressing KGMU’s 22nd convocation ceremony, Singh said the graduates were receiving not just degrees but a responsibility too.The defence minister said KGMU produced doctors who strengthened India’s healthcare system. He referred to Prof Avatar Singh, Prof Sunil Pradhan, Dr Balram Bhargava, Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan and Dr Naresh Trehan while highlighting the university’s contribution to medicine.He also cited Nepalese ophthalmologist Dr Sanduk Ruit for making cataract surgery affordable and restoring sight to more than one lakh people, saying innovation and service could transform lives.Quoting the Sanskrit maxim ‘Vaidyo Narayano Harih’ (A doctor is Lord Narayana Himself), Singh said, “Indian civilisation accords physicians the highest respect because they save human life.”Calling for empathy in medical practice, Singh said patients remember a doctor’s compassion and behaviour long after they recover.Singh mentioned Dr Ravindra Kolhe and Dr Smita Kolhe for serving tribal communities in Maharashtra, and Dr Tsering Landol for promoting institutional deliveries in Ladakh despite difficult terrain and limited resources.He also referred to West Bengal’s Karimul Haque, who converted his motorcycle into an ambulance and helped transport thousands of patients to hospitals.Drawing from the Ramcharitmanas, Singh recalled how Lanka’s royal physician Sushena treated Lakshman without considering which side of the conflict he belonged to. “Saving human life remains the highest duty of a physician,” he said.Quoting physician and humanitarian Dr Paul Farmer, Singh said the belief that some lives matter less than others lies at the root of injustice. He urged young doctors to provide equal treatment irrespective of a patient’s social or economic background.He also stressed the importance of patience in practice, recalling Sir William Osler’s advice that doctors should listen carefully to patients because the diagnosis is often found in the patient’s own narration.Referring to advances in artificial intelligence, robotic surgery, gene therapy, precision medicine and digital health, he said technology would continue to transform medicine but could never replace compassion.“Machines can analyse diseases, but they cannot feel a patient’s pain or reassure an anxious family. A doctor’s greatest strength will always be not only knowledge but also humanity,” Singh said.He said that KGMU equipped them not only with degrees but also with values that would help them become better doctors and human beings.
