Indira Gandhi’s last moment is through the eyes of the groundbreaking female doctor

Sneh Bhargava doesn’t have much life.

In 1984, she became the first woman at the All-Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the capital Delhi – one of the country’s top medical institutions – and remains the only woman to do so for nearly 70 years of history.

At the age of 90, Dr. Balgava, a pioneering radiologist in India, began writing her memoirs. Aiims woman, It was published earlier this month and is 95 years old and remains an active member of the medical community.

From the advent of selective radiology in India in the 1940s to becoming one of its most famous practitioners, Dr. Balgava’s legacy is simply extraordinary.

It has nothing to do with her first day as director of AIIMS, her first day at work, and it is simply a fire trial.

It was the morning of October 31, 1984, and the hospital was meeting after India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chose her to take the position.

Dr. Balgava was not part of the meeting but reviewed the medical case of the day in her office. In her memoir, she recalled that a colleague called her wildly and asked her to rush to the casualty ward.

There, lying on Gurney was the woman who chose Dr. Bhargava to lead the hospital – Indira Gandhi. Her saffron sari was soaked in blood and had no pulse.

“At the time, I wasn’t focused on the Prime Minister lying in front of me,” Dr. Balgava told the BBC. “My first thought was that we had to help her and protect her from further harm.”

Dr. Bhargava is worried that the mob will attack the casualty ward as a group of people have begun to gather outside the hospital.

News began to spread: Gandhi was shot by two Sikh bodyguards for Operation Blue Star, a military raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June to remove militants.

Gandhi’s assassination sparked one of India’s deadliest riots, and Dr. Balgava began to hear it when she hurriedly moved the Prime Minister to one of the top floors of the building.

In the operating room, a Sikh doctor fled the room the moment he heard how Gandhi died.

Until her son Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in, her death must continue.

Dr. Vargava wrote: “Before that, our work was to keep the charm we were trying to save her life, when in fact, she was dead when she was brought to AIIMS.”

She also described the painful process of embalming the Prime Minister’s body, which will be in the state in the capital two days before cremation.

“This anticorrosive chemical continues to seep out as we inject it into different aorta,” wrote Dr. Bhargava. The ballistic reports later showed that more than three dozen bullets pierced Gandhi’s body.

But this is not the only outstanding plot of Dr. Balgava’s long and outstanding career in AIIMS.

In this book, she shares her interactions with other famous politicians, including the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.

She remembers Sonia Gandhi bringing her son, young Rahul, to Aiims while the arrow was shooting.

She wrote in the book: “Sonia Gandhi told me that she had to bring Rahul to us because Rajiv (her husband) met the King of Jordan who gave him a beautiful car as a gift and her husband was eager to drive.”

Rajiv Gandhi wanted to bring Rahul to Aiims, and it was a surprise that it was insecure – but Dr. Bhargava firmly stopped him with security concerns.

But it’s not that exciting every day.

Dr. Balgava recalled political pressure, including a member of Congress, threatening her not to choose a female son in AIIMS.

On another occasion, two top politicians, including the federal health minister, tried to pick AIIMS Dean – although the decision was hers.

Dr. Vargava said she is firmly opposed to pressure and always prioritizes patient care. She strives to establish radiology as a core part of the diagnosis and treatment of AIIMS.

When Dr. Bhargava joined in the 1960s, AIIMS had only basic imaging tools. She trained her colleagues to read subtle signs of black and white X-rays to relate to the patient’s medical history. Later, she pushed for better equipment to help establish one of India’s leading radiology departments.

Dr. Bhargava is always attracted to make a difference.

Born in 1930 in a wealthy family in Lahore, India, she loved to play doctors for her dolls and siblings as a child. Dr. Balgava’s family fled to India while in the zoning of India and Pakistan, and later, she will visit the refugee camp with her father to help people.

Dr. Balgava studied radiology in London, the only woman in her class and hospital department, when few Indian women were in higher education.

Her mentor returned to India in the 1950s after hearing the news that the country needed a skilled radiologist.

Dr. Bhargava often praised her family, as well as her husband’s liberals, for helping her dream come true and hoped that other Indian women would receive the same support.

“It starts with childhood,” she said.

“Parents should support their daughter as much as they support their son. Only then can they break the glass ceiling and reach for the stars.”

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