I participated in the Miss Delhi Times contest, and won the title. As a result of that, I was introduced to the world of glamour, where I was offered many modelling projects. I was tempted by the offers, but I found myself in a difficult situation, as taking up any of those offers, would mean compromising on my medical education. I had a choice to make, and while it was a difficult choice, I knew right away, that nothing was more important to me, than pursuing my life’s ambition of saving lives, and anything accessory to that, would have to wait.
Tell us about your upbringing, background and journey?
I was born in Delhi to doctor parents. I grew up in a close knit, joint family, with the house always bustling with activity. Being a daughter to doctor parents, the importance of hardwork and perseverance was instilled in me, at a very early age. I was bubbly and outspoken as a child, but also academically inclined. I always performed well at school, so at the end of 10th standard, when it was time to choose my career of choice, all the options were open to me. Faced with the difficult decision, I looked back at my life, to know who's presence had impacted my life the most. I found the answer in the person I loved and idolised the most. My mother. Her dedication to her profession, and commitment to bringing tiny humans into this world, was what inspired me the most.
So I decided to go forward with the decision of following in the footsteps of my parents, and pursuing medicine. It was a difficult road, but my zeal to succeed kept me going, and by god’s grace, I was able to bag a seat in the most prestigious and oldest college of Delhi, Lady Hardinge Medical College. My joy knew no bounds, as I had not only achieved my dream, I had also made my idol’s alma mater, my own. My journey in Lady Hardinge, was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Medicine fascinated me, I was enthralled by every aspect of it. In my first year,
I participated in the Miss Delhi Times contest, and won the title. As a result of that, I was introduced to the world of glamour, where I was offered many modelling projects. I was tempted by the offers, but I found myself in a difficult situation, as taking up any of those offers, would mean compromising on my medical education. I had a choice to make, and while it was a difficult choice, I knew right away, that nothing was more important to me, than pursuing my life’s ambition of saving lives, and anything accessory to that, would have to wait. So I moved away from that thought, but kept that zest alive, by participating in, and being the head of the fashion society of LHMC, and also winning many coveted titles for our college. The five years of medical college, flew by like a blur. Soon we were interns, and I was officially Dr. Parul Upreti and I was finally living my dream.
Why did you choose to be a doctor and decide what you specifically want to do?
I basked in that joy of having the DOCTOR prefix added to my name for a while, soon I was on my next target, to crack the post graduate medical exam. Through my hardwork and toil, I was able to secure a great rank, and was again presented with a dilemma-what branch was I going to pick? There were so many choices, all branches had their own merits. But I wanted something special. I wanted to be the one, that everyone looked up to, when all hell broke loose. The one who could handle any type of emergency, and do any kind of life saving procedure.
Why did you choose to be a doctor and decide what you specifically want to do?
I basked in that joy of having the DOCTOR prefix added to my name for a while, soon I was on my next target, to crack the post graduate medical exam. Through my hardwork and toil, I was able to secure a great rank, and was again presented with a dilemma-what branch was I going to pick? There were so many choices, all branches had their own merits. But I wanted something special. I wanted to be the one, that everyone looked up to, when all hell broke loose. The one who could handle any type of emergency, and do any kind of life saving procedure.
The one standing between the life and death of the patient. So my choice became obvious to me. I chose Anaesthesia and critical care. And I was lucky enough to get a second innings at my safe place, LHMC. Life in Anaesthesia, has been insane and chaotic, but also very very rewarding. The fact that we put people to sleep, while they are about to undergo the most painful experience of their life, yet we wake them up pain free, is a wonderful feeling.
We rid people of pains they have been experiencing for months. And as intensivists, we take up patients when they’re at their sickest, and we give it our all, to heal them. The feeling of discharging a patient, you had received in a “critical” state, is a high no amount of drugs could ever give you. So when you ask me, why Anaesthesia? It’s for the high!
We salute your work during the pandemic, where did you get the inspiration to work so hard?
The pandemic has been hard on all of us. Especially on doctors. The motivation to show up at work, has dwindled many a times. But during such times, what’s kept me going, is inspiration that I have sought, both from home, and from work. Seeing both of my parents, and my parents-In law, working every single day of the pandemic, not worrying about the fact, that they belonged to a more susceptible part of the population, is all the inspiration I could ever need.
We salute your work during the pandemic, where did you get the inspiration to work so hard?
The pandemic has been hard on all of us. Especially on doctors. The motivation to show up at work, has dwindled many a times. But during such times, what’s kept me going, is inspiration that I have sought, both from home, and from work. Seeing both of my parents, and my parents-In law, working every single day of the pandemic, not worrying about the fact, that they belonged to a more susceptible part of the population, is all the inspiration I could ever need.
The four of them have given me the strength, that like them, I too could put my patients first, and march on. Alongside this, knowing that I make a difference in some patients life, and that someone gets back their parent, their spouse, their child or their friend back, because I showed up to work, keeps me going through the darkest of days.
How do you expect digital health to grow over the next 5 years?
I think digital health is a very promising concept & has huge growth potential in the coming years.
In these pandemic times, I have also taken a lot of pro-Bono online & telephonic COVID consults for a lot of people, and it did really help me to reach out to a lot of patients who were not able to get access to good healthcare in their respective areas.
What are your concerns about Digital Health?
Two big concerns that I have about digital health is it’s misuse.
1. Credibility of information which is given online.
I want the best for my patients so I feel that there shouldn’t be any misuse of the digital platform to give out information to them & it should be verified that it’s always coming from a credible source.
2. Loss of personalised touch when it comes to in-person doctor patient interaction. Nothing can beat a
One to one conversation with the patient.
Can you let us know any one application of Digital Health in your country which has impressed you?
Honestly I haven’t used many as of now. But I’ve found a lot of friends praise practo app, it’s helped a lot in their private practice.
What is your message for aspiring doctors and the young generation? Which is the best medical college according to you?
It is impossible for me to pick the best college, as I feel that all colleges are doing a noble job. They are training generation after generation of the brightest minds of our country, and creating doctors, who go on to save millions of patients, and impact the lives every single person of this country. That in itself is an unmatched achievement, a comparison would be unfair.
How do you expect digital health to grow over the next 5 years?
I think digital health is a very promising concept & has huge growth potential in the coming years.
In these pandemic times, I have also taken a lot of pro-Bono online & telephonic COVID consults for a lot of people, and it did really help me to reach out to a lot of patients who were not able to get access to good healthcare in their respective areas.
What are your concerns about Digital Health?
Two big concerns that I have about digital health is it’s misuse.
1. Credibility of information which is given online.
I want the best for my patients so I feel that there shouldn’t be any misuse of the digital platform to give out information to them & it should be verified that it’s always coming from a credible source.
2. Loss of personalised touch when it comes to in-person doctor patient interaction. Nothing can beat a
One to one conversation with the patient.
Can you let us know any one application of Digital Health in your country which has impressed you?
Honestly I haven’t used many as of now. But I’ve found a lot of friends praise practo app, it’s helped a lot in their private practice.
What is your message for aspiring doctors and the young generation? Which is the best medical college according to you?
It is impossible for me to pick the best college, as I feel that all colleges are doing a noble job. They are training generation after generation of the brightest minds of our country, and creating doctors, who go on to save millions of patients, and impact the lives every single person of this country. That in itself is an unmatched achievement, a comparison would be unfair.
Having said that, I have to say, I’m a little biased. My entire life was come a full circle at LHMC. I was born here, I grew up here, I roamed the hallways as a child with my mother, I became a doctor here, i made my best friends here, I discovered my purpose in life here, I met the love of my life here. Everything good that has ever happened to me, is enclosed in the walls of this majestic college. So for me, nothing could ever compare to LHMC. It’s given me my life. A life I am so privileged to live.
What does your typical day look like and what do you like to do besides work?
A typical day for me, is no different from that of any other girl. I wake up, have a conversation over tea with my in laws, cook breakfast for my family, go to work, save lives, come home and work on my newest project. Even though I’ve loved my life as doctor, and Anaesthesia has given me all the joy in the world, I kept going back to my old days, wanting more out of life. Throughout my career as a doctor, I’ve always found that there’s something lacking in medical fashion. Doctors are always dressed comfortably, seldom fashionably. It seemed to me that it was a choice. But why can’t we have both? Why can’t medical fashion be both comfortable, and also fashionable?
So me and my wonderful friend & now business partner Jyotika, decided to fill that gap, by launching our very own Medical Fashion Line, called SCRUBSCAPE.
We started operations about 2 months back, and have ever since successfully delivered 300+ scrubs and scrubcaps to our beautiful customers, and hope to deliver many more in the months and years to come. Our mission statement at scrubscape looks at transforming the way doctors dress across the country.
Because not all superheroes wear capes.
Some wear scrubscape.
What does your typical day look like and what do you like to do besides work?
A typical day for me, is no different from that of any other girl. I wake up, have a conversation over tea with my in laws, cook breakfast for my family, go to work, save lives, come home and work on my newest project. Even though I’ve loved my life as doctor, and Anaesthesia has given me all the joy in the world, I kept going back to my old days, wanting more out of life. Throughout my career as a doctor, I’ve always found that there’s something lacking in medical fashion. Doctors are always dressed comfortably, seldom fashionably. It seemed to me that it was a choice. But why can’t we have both? Why can’t medical fashion be both comfortable, and also fashionable?
So me and my wonderful friend & now business partner Jyotika, decided to fill that gap, by launching our very own Medical Fashion Line, called SCRUBSCAPE.
We started operations about 2 months back, and have ever since successfully delivered 300+ scrubs and scrubcaps to our beautiful customers, and hope to deliver many more in the months and years to come. Our mission statement at scrubscape looks at transforming the way doctors dress across the country.
Because not all superheroes wear capes.
Some wear scrubscape.
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