Doctors' Day 2025: Stories of grit, ingenuity, and sheer skill
Every patient is a puzzle—and some are tougher to solve than others. On National Doctors’ Day (July 1), we spotlight the quiet brilliance of doctors who’ve gone beyond textbooks, test reports and time constraints to crack complex cases.
These aren’t just stories of rare diseases or high-stakes surgeries: they are stories of instinct and last-minute calls that saved lives. In a system often short on resources, it is these moments of human intuition and perseverance that define the best of Indian healthcare.
Here, four doctors from different specialisations share the most challenging (and fulfilling) cases of their careers:
Dr Swarup Swaraj Pal, Senior Consultant Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon - Gleneagles Hospitals, Parel
We had a gentleman come at 9 PM with a ruptured heart!
He was attacked by a bull and its horns had penetrated his ribcage and heart. We saw him spurting blood and straight away took him inside the OT and opened his chest.
Asked a junior to put his finger and plug the rent. Quickly took 3 stitches and sutured the rent. The bleeding stopped, and he survived miraculously.
Dr Rajiv Kovil, Head of Diabetology & Co-founder of Rang De Neela Initiative - Zandra Healthcare
In the bustling city of Ahmedabad, an 8-year-old boy named S. Modi faced a health challenge that would change his life forever. His parents noticed alarming symptoms: rapid weight loss, insatiable thirst, and frequent urination.
A visit to the doctor revealed the shocking truth: his blood sugar levels were over 500 mg/dL, and his HbA1c (a marker of long-term sugar control) was at a dangerous 10 per cent. The boy was essentially slipping into a state of ketosis, a potentially life-threatening condition.
Doctors diagnosed him with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), a chronic auto-immune disease requiring lifelong insulin therapy. The family’s world turned upside down.
He began insulin therapy four times a week, enduring the discomfort of daily injections, but despite their efforts, his blood sugar remained uncontrolled. Over three years, his HbA1c steadily worsened, leaving his family desperate for answers.
Determined to seek better treatment, the Modi family traveled from Ahmedabad to Mumbai to consult Dr Rajiv Kovil, a renowned diabetologist.
Dr Kovil carefully reviewed his case and asked an unusual but insightful question: “Does anyone else in your family have diabetes?”
The boy's mother and grandmother, both diagnosed with diabetes in their early 30s, caught Dr Kovil’s attention.
“This isn’t typical Type 1 diabetes,” he thought. “Could it be something else entirely?”
Dr Kovil ordered additional tests. A C-peptide test showed that the boy's pancreas was producing very little insulin, consistent with Type 1 diabetes. Yet, something still didn’t add up. Acting on his instincts, Dr Kovil recommended genetic testing, a move that would unravel the true mystery.
The test results revealed a mutation in the HNF1A gene—evidence of a rare condition called Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY). Unlike Type 1 diabetes, MODY is caused by a genetic mutation that affects insulin production, and is passed down through generations. It often masquerades as Type 2 diabetes, but appears in younger individuals and isn’t linked to lifestyle factors.
With the discovery of MODY, Dr Kovil made a pivotal decision.
Insulin therapy wasn’t the answer. Instead, he prescribed oral medications, including sulfonylureas, which help the body produce more insulin naturally. The results were almost immediate.
Within weeks, the child's blood sugar levels stabilised, and his HbA1c dropped from 10 per cent to a much-healthier 7.2 per cent. For the first time in years, the Modi family felt hope. The boy's parents—particularly his mother—experienced a flood of relief and guilt.
“Did I pass this condition to my son?” she tearfully asked Dr Kovil. He reassured her: “This isn’t anyone’s fault. What matters is that we now know what we’re dealing with and how to manage it.”
MODY, often mistaken for other types of diabetes, requires tailored treatment, and understanding this can transform lives.
“Diabetes is not a one-size-fits-all condition,” says Dr. Kovil. “Each type—be it Type 1, Type 2, MODY, or even rarer forms like LADA—requires a unique approach. The key is to dig deeper, to ask the right questions, and to never give up.”
Dr Sandeep Gore, Director (Emergency Medicine) - Fortis Hospital Mulund
Four-year-old Smruti Chavan's (name changed) visit to India turned into a tragic yet courageous tale after her pet dog bit her on the face.
The girl had been visiting India to meet her grandparents, and one afternoon, while playing with her pet, she got bitten. She was soon rushed to the Fortis Hospital at Mulund and was under the care of Dr Sandeep Gore.
The injury was around her eye, and as part of her treatment, she would have had to take an injection: Immunoglobulin around the affected area, just to avoid any chances of rabies, which was fatal.
Just like other children, she too was scared of the needle, but as soon as her parents informed her that she might lose her pet if she didn’t go through with the process, she immediately yielded and with grim determination, asked the doctor to give her the injection.
She was so valiant that she didn’t even shed a tear and kept saying that she’d cross mountains if need be—just to be with her pet. She was later given five more injections on the thighs: truly the bravest patient doctor saw in his practice.
Dr Manju Gupta, Senior Consultant (Obstetrician & Gynaecologist) - Motherhood Hospitals, Noida
One of the most challenging and fulfilling cases of my career involved a 32-year-old medical professional who came to me in her first trimester.
At around 12–14 weeks, she reported breast pain (a common pregnancy symptom) but she had also felt something unusual. On examination, I found a lump that didn’t appear suspicious, but her insistence led us to perform a breast ultrasound. The scan revealed a suspicious mass, and a biopsy confirmed breast cancer.
Faced with a difficult decision, she was offered the option to terminate the pregnancy for early treatment. However, this could have been her last chance at motherhood, as chemotherapy could affect future fertility. With support from her family and oncology team, she chose to continue the pregnancy.
We began chemotherapy at 16 weeks—the point at which the risks for a foetus are lower. She courageously completed multiple cycles and delivered a healthy baby boy at 34 weeks.
Today, both mother and baby are doing well. This case highlights the power of patient intuition, timely diagnosis, and the importance of respecting patient choice—even in the most complex clinical scenarios.
Health