By Justice Markandey Katju–
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own)
For several years, Medanta Hospital in Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon), Haryana has been ranked as the best private hospital in India. It has a host of specialties, and branches in other cities like Patna, Lucknow, Indore, Ranchi, etc. Patients often come there even from foreign countries.
My tryst with Medanta began on Friday when I had to undergo a series of medical tests preparatory to a major surgery in a week’s time. Medanta is almost a mini city, sprawled over 4.3 acres. The main hospital has 15 storeys and numerous departments, and was built at a cost of about ₹1200 crore (approximately $140 million).
It has close to 900 highly qualified and experienced doctors, including those that have worked for many years in the US and elsewhere. There are thousands of highly-trained nurses and other support staff, and has 30 super specialities. The credit for creating this cutting-edge medical facility goes largely to one man — Dr Naresh Trehan, an internationally renowned cardiac surgeon, who conceived of the idea and implemented it, working for it day and night for many years.
Dr Trehan does free consultations and treatment for poor people or those who cannot afford expensive treatment. I came to know him through his wife Madhu, an eminent journalist who interviewed me a few times. When I was the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in 2005 (a year before I became a Supreme Court Judge) I once invited Dr Trehan to address the Hon’ble Judges of the High Court on health concerns they may face. During his address, he told us about how what level of alcohol was safe to consume. He used the term CC (cubic centimetres). I intervened and said we judges understand ‘chhota’ (small) peg and ‘bada’ (big) peg, but do not understand cc. He smiled, and explained what he meant.
Before going to the main hospital in Gurgaon, I went for consultation and some tests to the hospital’s outdoor clinic called Medanta Mediclinic in Defence Colony, New Delhi. I was advised a surgery in the main hospital. Therefore, on April 27, I reached the main hospital for pre-surgery tests and consultation.
There, I saw the awe-inspiring facility and its environment. It has green all around, and even has its own solar power plant. At the hospital, I had tests of various kinds, and consultations with various doctors, many of whom had vast experience of working in some of the best hospitals in Europe and the US. Dr Trehan himself worked in US hospitals for many years. The medical equipment at Medanta seemed to be state of the art; my guess is that whenever Dr Trehan and his colleagues go abroad, they find out the latest techniques and introduce them at Medanta.
Following this, I had a sumptuous and excellent meal in the food court, which has Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Vaango, etc. I had a massive, crisp masala dosa, upama, vada, etc, from Vaango, washed down with delicious lassi.
I now await my D-Day. Long live Dr Trehan!
