A well known liver surgeon, Dr Rahul Kakodkar, feels that his professional competence can be of help to Goa in times of the coronavirus pandemic
Early life, childhood & schooling
I was born in Panjim to Suryakant (SK) Kakodkar, an advocate who eventually went on to become Goa’s first designated senior advocate and Savita Kakodkar.
I studied in Sharada Mandir, Miramar until the third standard after which I transferred to People’s High School, Fontainhas until completion of my SSCE.
I represented my school in cricket (under-14), table-tennis (under-15), basketball (under-14) and in quiz, elocution and debating competitions.
After achieving a state merit list position (top 50) in SSCE, I enrolled for XI and XII Std in Science stream at Dhempe College, Miramar. I secured a state merit list position (top 15) in HSSCE science examination, as well.
What made you choose medicine?
I was more interested in numbers and words during my entire schooling and although I scored well in biology, it did not count among my favourite subjects. My late father, before he switched to becoming a lawyer, as well a couple of his brothers, worked in the pharmaceutical industry and through interacting with them, unbeknownst to me, a seed was sown in some subconscious part of my impressionable mind that medicine as a profession would allow you to touch the lives of people on a daily basis without the limitations of job hours, retirement age or a controlling hierarchy in the workplace (some of those views may have since changed).
When the opportunity presented itself to choose between joining MBBS at Goa Medical College or any of the other professional graduation courses that were open to me I guess the seed sown in subconscious took over the conscious, and the decision was made.
How were the early years in the profession?
A professional career in medicine really begins when you have completed your MBBS course and have to do a mandatory one-year internship before becoming a registered medical professional.
Internship is a time where you get a chance to rotate through all departments, interact with patients and participate in their diagnosis, treatment and even in procedures under supervision.
Fortunately, having been among the toppers and recipient of Gold Medal at MBBS examination, I was almost assured of pursuing a post-graduate degree of my choosing after completion of my internship.
The year of internship also helped develop working relationships with nurses, ancillary healthcare workers and laid the foundation of working as a team that is almost mandatory in my current area of specialisation.
The experience of rotating through all departments also made me narrow my choice to a post-graduate course in a surgical discipline because it would allow me to do more than diagnose and prescribe medicines by getting to the root cause of the problem and possibly eliminating it.
How did you zone in on your specialisation? What aspects of your specialisation appealed to you?
During my internship I was drawn to a surgical field of specialisation as it would allow me to take a crack at the root cause of the problem and possibly eliminate it. I had to choose between orthopaedic surgery and general surgery since both post-graduate courses were open to me.
I chose general surgery because it would train me to perform procedures on nearly the entire human body while orthopaedics would limit me to only the musculoskeletal system. Hence I took up post-graduate Master of Surgery in General Surgery at Goa Medical College with then Prof. Dr. Vasco D’Silva as my guide.
At the time I was training in Department of General Surgery at Goa Medical College, apart from Neurosurgery, there were no sub-specialty departments operational. Although we were trying our best to do justice to all patients, in my opinion, the management of patients with diseases of the liver and pancreas and those with liver cirrhosis in particular, left something to be desired. This need of patients motivated me to specialise in the field of liver and pancreas surgery which was available at only a couple of institutes across the country and the competition was cut throat. I had the privilege of becoming the first person from Goa to be selected for a post-doctoral course (DNB) in Surgical Gastroenterology (Equivalent to MCh Surgical Gastroenterology) under the guidance of Prof Samiran Nundy, who is a living legend in that field, at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. At that time, liver transplantation started there in a big way and I was fortunate to receive training and experience in that highly specialised surgery, as well.
Highlights of stints in various hospitals
I have had the privilege of working at many prominent hospitals across the country.
I was fortunate to be invited to join the faculty at the department of surgical gastroenterology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital immediately upon receiving my post-doctoral qualifications. The department was a powerhouse of liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal surgery – both in clinical work, academics and publication of papers in national and international journals. I was involved in the training of post-doctoral students, fellows as well as a co-guide for PhD in Gastrointestinal Surgery.
Following that, I worked as senior consultant and associate director at Institute of Liver Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine at Medanta-the Medicity, Gurugram.
I have had the privilege of being part of some pioneering work in liver transplantation in India including first liver transplant for acute liver failure, first combined liver kidney transplant, first split cadaver liver transplant, first swap liver transplant, first liver transplant chain, first domino liver transplant, first dual-lobe living donor liver transplant and early series of ABO incompatible liver transplantation.
I have also had the honour of being associated as Senior Consultant / Lead Surgeon with other institutions across the country including Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai; Jupiter Hospital, Thane; Continental Hospital, Hyderabad; Fortis Hospital, Mumbai and Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai.
I continue to be a visiting surgeon for liver transplantation at Shalby Hospital Group, Ahmedabad and Inamdar Hospital, Pune, among others.
Cases that remain etched in memory
Every case is unique in it is own way and those that remain etched in memory are the ones that either was a sweet experience or a bitter one. In my line of work that often deals with very sick patients, not all battles can be won despite best efforts. Suffice to say the most memorable and rewarding cases are the patients who we succeed in helping claw back from the very brink and go on to live long and fulfilling lives and contribute to society. Thankfully, I have more than a fair share of such memorable and rewarding cases to cherish.
What made you come back to Goa and what is your focus currently?
Over the last nearly 10 years and more in particular since 2015, I have been regularly visiting Goa to conduct clinics, perform complex surgeries and participate in awareness programs with regards to liver disease, liver transplantation and organ donation. Returning to Goa was always on the cards for me once the right platform was available to deliver the much needed services to patients from Goa where liver disease and cirrhosis is quite prevalent and there is a rising trend in cancers of the colon, rectum, liver, pancreas and bile duct.
My decision to return was accelerated due to the Coronavirus pandemic and how it impacted Mumbai where I was living and working. The lockdown and the policy to convert hospitals to COVID hospitals have worked to the disadvantage of my patients who are predominantly non-COVID and quite a few who came from Goa for treatment.
I felt it was time for a Goan liver and pancreas surgeon to respond to this clarion call and bring the benefit of my training and experience to patients within Goa. Developing a multidisciplinary team and centre of excellence that can offer all possible treatments for gastrointestinal, liver, biliary and pancreatic diseases as well as liver transplantation within the state of Goa will be my focus.
As an accomplished surgeon, do share your success mantra with youngsters
I have always believed that true progress only begins outside our comfort zones and it is the fears that we avoid facing that become our limits in life and that is the counsel I would share with my junior collleagues.
What are the plans that keep you excited?
I feel that if you are passionate about what you are doing, you do not need anything extra to keep you excited and motivated.
I am fortunate to be working in a field that I am passionate about and this is what has kept me going through sleepless nights and helped me weather adversities and reverses while keeping me grounded in success. “Success is moving from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm,” said Winston Churchill
