Alumni Speak
‘It is most important to counsel a patient’s attendants’
Dr Varun Menon, Apeejay School, Noida alumnus, tells students it is absolutely fine to be average. Students must not demoralise oneself
Dr. Varun Menon is an Internal Medicine Specialist working at St. Stephens Hospital in Delhi. He is an Apeejay School, Noida alumnus, who went on to pursue his MBBS from Bangalore Medical College. In an interesting interview, the alumnus from the batch of 2004 speaks about the changes he would like to see in the field of medicine and also reminds that it is very essential for a doctor to counsel the patient’s attendants. Edited excerpts:
What exactly is internal medicine? What does an internal medicine doctor do?
Internal medicine doctor is basically a physician who manages everything in the human body, right from the brain to the kidney to the entire body. Everything is managed by an internal medicine physician. There are subfields as well like gastroenterology and neurology. My specialisation is critical care. I manage terminally ill patients.
Where do you work sir?
I work in St. Stephens Hospital in Tis Hazari, Delhi. It is more like a medical college cum a missionary hospital. My working hours are from 10 am to 4 pm.
What inspired you to join medicine?
In my growing up years, I used to watch a lot of videos on the Discovery Channel. I once saw a video on a cardiac surgeon. That got me interested in studying biology and then the journey began.
Best memories from Apeejay School, Noida?
My memories are more about my friends. We are the same buddies hovering around each other even now, it’s been more than thirty years. I joined the school in Kindergarten, so I studied there from 1991 to 2004. The best thing I found at school, the best memory is that I met my wife, Dr Suparna Roy in the school. She had joined the school in class 11.
1 life mantra for the current students?
Being average is absolutely fine. Don’t let your morale get affected because of this. Don’t think negatively! You are just fine!
One major challenge you face as a doctor?
It’s making the patient’s attendants understand the problems that the patient is facing. Most of the time, the attendants are emotionally charged. So, counselling them is very important and challenging for a doctor.
1 change you would recommend in the medical profession?
I would like all the government hospitals to have better facilities, with more female doctors working around the clock. It will be good for female patients.
