Dil Se : Leading light of pink ribbon

Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti, Director and Consultant Surgeon, KIMS-Ushalakshmi Center for Breast Diseases, who has done yeoman service in raising breast cancer awareness across the country, belongs to the rare category of doctors, who, despite shining in Centres of Excellence abroad, choose to return to their motherland for paying back to society.A highly-decorated doctor, he is the first surgeon of Indian origin to be conferred the honorary fellowship of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. In 2020, he was conferred the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In a free-wheeling conversation with The Pioneer’s Siddharth Kumar Singh, Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti shares the high points of his wonderful journey in the medical field, his inspiration, and what makes him a doctor par excellence who also spends quality time with family.

Early bird in breast cancer sub-specialty

I was born in Guntur. Both my parents were doctors. We moved to Hyderabad when I was one year old and since then I have been a Hyderabadi all along. The city is very close to my heart. I did my schooling from Hyderabad Public School and Intermediate from St. Alphonsa’s Junior College. Thereafter, I went on to pursue my MBBS from Siddhartha Medical College in Vijayawada and my postgraduate Master of Surgery (MS) degree from Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore. After that, I moved to the United Kingdom to pursue my FRCS from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Ireland in 1997. Subsequently I worked at various Centers of Excellence and obtained higher surgical training and sub-specialty training in oncoplastic breast surgery. In the late 1990s, breast surgery was evolving as a distinct sub-specialty in the UK. I was one of the first few overseas doctors to pursue this sub-specialty.

Mother’s predicament

In 2002, when my parents had come on a holiday to the UK, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.That left me reflecting on how breast cancer care is delivered in India.

There were no dedicated breast centers then. I also realized that, due to lack of awareness and absence of a robust screening program, more than 60 per cent of the patients showed up with advanced stages of cancer, with many of them succumbing within a year of being diagnosed. There was no organization of surgeons practicing the art and science of treating breast disease under one platform. Being an only child, I wanted to look after my mother, but my parents refused to move to the UK. So, I and my wife decided to relocate to India to serve my motherland. Over the past 15 years, I have been serving as a living bridge between the UK and India, trying to replicate the best of British practices in an endeavor to improve the delivery of breast healthcare in our country.

Dream from childhood

Right from my childhood, I have always wanted to be a doctor. I used to watch many people coming to my parents’ clinic with their concerns. After a few days of treatment, many would return with flowers and sweets to thank them. I thought this is a very humane and empathetic field and that is what made me move towards medicine.

Excelling in Medicine

I was a happy-go-lucky child. I was not very studious. After I moved to Mangalore to pursue my education, I became serious about my career. I studied very hard. At that time there was an opportunity for me to do senior house surgeoncy. They were giving six months’ exemption to those doing it. Normally a PG course is of three years, but I completed it in two and a half years. That was a turning point. Thereafter, I finished my FRCS from three colleges in two months, going through nearly 100 examiners – that is a record, yet to be broken. My 4th FRCS was given to me honorary from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Living frugally

My MBBS stint was a happy-go-lucky period. During my PG, although I was studious and wanted to excel, I was always moving around with my friends. When I went to the UK, I stayed in a place called YMCA. It was in a very remote part of Glasgow. I went there was because it was very cheap. For 150 pounds, we could stay for a month. Once I went there, I realized that we were surrounded by shady flats housing people involved in drug crime. I did not tell my parents because I wanted to live frugally. I shared my apartment with a Bangladeshi and a Pakistani. I would cook my own food. This experience helped me become tough. I could have asked for more money from my parents, but I did not do that. Living frugally taught me many lessons.

Returned to India, set four goals

Having returned to India, I set four goals. The first one was to establish a breast cancer foundation in memory of my mother. Over the past 15 years, the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation has been working relentlessly and has left no stone unturned in its mission to create the much-needed awareness about the importance of early detection. We launched the Pink Ribbon Campaign in 2007. We had tarted off with just 50 people and over the years it has become a benchmark annual event in the calendar of Hyderabad where we have seen thousands of people participating. Similarly, we launched ‘Paint the City Pink’ campaign in 2009 under which we illuminated several historical monuments in pink, the whole aim is mirrored upon the concept from the West, where buildings like White House and Buckingham Palace turn pink. Earlier, even educated people did not want to be seen at places where discussions on breast cancers were happening. Now when the foundation goes places, it can be observed that the taboo has been broken.

My second aim was to establish a dedicated breast center where benign breast disease and breast cancer is managed in a comprehensive, free-standing purpose built manner. The Ushalakshmi Center for Breast Diseases is South Asia’s first free standing purpose-built comprehensive breast center at KIMS Hospitals in Hyderabad.

My third aim was to reach out to the community by implementing a screening program for breast cancer. We trained more than 4,000 health workers to perform clinical breast examinations for the screening. Between 2012 and 2016, more than 2 lakh underprivileged women spread across 4,000 villages underwent the breast examination screening.It was one of the largest screening programs done at the time. The people in whom cancer was detected were treated free of cost.

My fourth aim was to form an association where general surgeons, surgical oncologists, and plastic surgeons come under one umbrella organization like in the UK and USA so that we can train surgeons about breast diseases.

Awards galore

I was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 2015. Then in 2017, I was very fortunate to have been selected for the BC Roy National Award for outstanding service in the field of socio-medical relief. In 2020, I was conferred the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), which was then given by Queen Elizabeth II and was presented to me by Prince Charles at a glittering ceremony at the Windsor Castle.

I happened to be one of the youngest surgeons of Indian origin in over 100 years to achieve this rare recognition. Besides, I have been awarded honorary fellowships from prestigious colleges like the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Thailand, Chinese College of Surgeons and the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka as well.

Adopting Ibrahimpur village

Had my wife Dr Vyjayanthi not supported me in my move to India, I would not have achieved anything. I adopted a village named Ibrahimpur in 2015. When I got the Padma Shri, current Health Minister of Telangana Harish Rao came to felicitate me at KIMS Hospitals. When I asked him if there was something I could do, he said that I could adopt the village.

After that, we identified several projects that could be implemented. For example, a dining hall was constructed for the children of the village school so that they can have lunch at ease. There were no crematoriums within the village surroundings so we built a modern crematorium there. Many leaders and bureaucrats have visited the village and appreciated the transformation there. It has received many awards. I do not believe in practicing from early morning till late at night. I enjoy spending a lot of time meditating. Every day I spend more than an hour in the prayer room. I think it is because of this grace that I have been able to achieve all my success.

Family

My mother was a gynecologist and father was a surgeon. My wife Dr Vyjayanthi is a fertility specialist and has been a rock-solid support for me throughout the journey. My elder son Sai has just completed his MBBS in the UK and he is on a foundation year and hopes to become a surgeon. My younger son Krishna has just joined Jindal Law School in pursuit of his career in law. We are a very closely knit family.

Meditation helps

Prior to getting into meditation, I used to get stressed often. But since 2015 — when I started practicing meditation — I have not been stressed too much. The process of meditation helps me to relax significantly. In addition to practicing breast surgery, spending a lot of time preparing the patients and counseling takes away a lot of your energy. One has to regain that back and therefore I do not spend late hours operating in the evening and get back home early. I give a lot of importance to spending quality time. I am planning to go ahead with more charitable work as I grow older.

RAPID FIRE:

How do you describe yourself: I am a simple soul who believes in the power of grace, being empathetic, kind and considerate. My mission is Breast Cancer Advocacy.
Favourite colour: Pink (as it represents breast cancer awareness)
Fav food: Enjoy eating non-vegetarian; it is my weakness
Fav holiday destination: The Maldives
A country you would wish to visit: Bhutan
Fav  movie: RRR
Fav actor: Amitabh Bachchan
Are you religious or spiritual: I am spiritual, I believe in the power or grace.
Your inspiration in life: My mother, without her I would not be where I am today.
Your driving force: My connection with the spiritual element.