Staying Afloat: A Pediatric Urologist's Journey Through Self-Doubt, Resilience, and Healing in India's Overburdened Hospitals

I never thought I'd compare my surgical career to Mumbai's street ducks, but here we are. Pediatric urology in India isn't just a medical specialty—it's a daily struggle against flooded hospital corridors, temperamental electricity, and the crushing weight of too many patients with too few doctors. This paper traces my bumpy path from a scared self deprecating super-speciality resident at National Pediatric Surgical Institute (NPSI) in Delhi to my paediatric urology fellowship years at Oceanview Children's Hospital (OCH) in Mumbai.

NPSI had all the fancy equipment catalogs promised, the NABH accreditation, quality trained staff and skilled teachers; but what they didn't mention was the overwhelming workload. At OACH, I faced different demons—the stark divide between patients who could afford robotic surgery and those who could afford indigent medical care only.Between these extremes, I learned that surviving as a surgeon in India isn't about individual toughness—it's about the Operating Room (OR) nurse who shows you a shortcut technique during tea break, the senior who teaches you to operate using mobile phone light, and finding small moments of peace in the madness of Mumbai traffic.