Our very dear readers of K-WAY!
“Cura te ipsum”
Aahaah! You are wondering what these words mean.
This is a Latin phrase, an ancient proverb appearing in Luke 4:23. There, Jesus is quoted as saying, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal thyself!’
A proverb used in literary texts from at least the 6th century B.C.
The message of the proverb is that Physicians should care for themselves in order to better care for the illnesses of others.
Often doctors tend to neglect their own health and that of their family, under pressure of their daily work.
OMG, why is the editor saying all this now!
Is that what you are thinking?
Well, it’s because today, the 1st of July, is celebrated in India as DOCTORS’ DAY!
As a family physician it makes me proud of my profession and on behalf of Kauvery hospitals I take this opportunity with overwhelming joy to wish all the doctors a very happy Doctors’ Day.
The untiring warriors in health care!
Their selfless service saves their patients from the invisible enemies which attack the body and mind.
The pandemic was the best example for this.
As doctors we invest our time to understand patients, their concerns and the nature of their disease. We then thoughtfully prescribe the treatment, follow up and assess the response and outcome.
This entire process is so well transcribed by the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar 3000 years ago.
Isn’t that amazing!
While encountering infectious diseases of patients’ doctors are also at risk of contracting the disease as well.
It’s a risk taken with conviction and courage.
The amelioration of illness under the care of the doctor is never a magic or miracle; it’s evidence-based medicine that makes the process a miracle to a patient recovering from the illness.
That moment is magical to the doctor when thanked, with appreciation for the recovery.
The practice of the profession which gives great pride and satisfaction to doctors can also sometimes give them a rough ride.
Misunderstandings and miscommunications can occasionally provoke medico legal litigation that can make management of disease very complicated.
All safeguards conceived towards the best interests of patients are readily accepted by the medical profession despite the stress involved.
One cannot vow to save the planet, but definitely the doctor shall keep the vows to save the patient under all circumstances. That’s why this is the only noble profession.
Continuing medical education, practice of evidence-based medicine, teaching, training and research are the gold standards we live by in the field of medicine.
They make doctors effective and keep patients safe.
Doctors publish their data to guide the next generation to learn, and practice medicine skilfully.
In this profession knowledge, skills, mind and heart come together to serve patients.
The huge responsibility taken by doctors to safeguard health of their patients, the stress that it causes and the sacrifices it calls for sometimes go unnoticed.
Doctors, as individuals, as parents, and as care givers, are always multi-tasking. They mould them to be empathetic and react thoughtfully in most situations.
They are most capable leaders not only in health care but can lead any kind of organization.
An example of such a leader is our Executive Director, Dr Aravindan Selvaraj.
We take pride in his leadership, and on behalf of all doctors of Kauvery Hospitals we wish him and thank him for the great support he has given to us doctors at Kauvery hospitals which enables us to work in a comfortable environment.
Doctors, please take care and have wonderful years of good health and happiness ahead!
Thank you!
I would love to know what you think about our monthly newsletter. Feel free to give your feedback via email [email protected].
Dr. Kavitha Sundaravadanam
Senior Family Physician
Highlights @ Kauvery
Hello Kauverians! Let’s have a joyful July!
We are in July. Yes! You heard it right. It feels like just yesterday we were welcoming 2024 and now we are already halfway through. How does it feel? Well, it makes us think about how important it is to live in the present by cherishing our moments and staying mindful of how we spend our time. Valuing small things in life and making meaningful memories helps us make the most of our time.
When we speak about time, are you noticing that we are going through a major shift in our weather patterns due to climatic changes? Chennai has witnessed unusual wet weather during June in the last few years. We had thunderstorms during the evenings in Chennai. The vivid lightning and loud thunders on most of the days during June were quite surprising for Chennaiites. In fact, unusual weather patterns are something that raises concern amongst most of us. Technology has advanced so much in recent decades and has reshaped nearly every aspect of our lives. How nice it would be if there were an opportunity to reset everything in a click of a button and start fresh? Just think about it!
So, are you people eager to know what June looked like for Kauverians? Well, we conducted the Super Typist Competition – Phase 1 for the year 2024 in order to enhance the typing skills of our employees and around 180 employees took part in the contest. On June 16, we had Father’s Day celebrations here at Kauvery Alwarpet to honour our employees who were Fathers by appreciating their contributions towards family life. We had employees bring in their children to join the celebrations. Apart from these, to commemorate World Blood Donor Day which is observed during June every year, we had organized an in-house blood donation drive for our Kauverians with the motto “Be a Hero at work: Donate Blood”. The camp saw enthusiastic participation of employees and it was an act of expressing – selfless service with a smile.
What is interesting about the month of July? We are keen and excited to celebrate the National Doctors Day. A day to salute our frontline warriors, none other than our beloved Doctors. We have surprises planned for these unsung heroes who are second to God for all their contributions to healthcare. As we move into the second half of the year, it is a good opportunity to reflect on our achievements, appreciate the journey so far and set new goals. Happy July to you too!
Canvas of Hope – A Tale of Art and Strength
Service Excellence
Happiness indeed comes in different forms, one is the personal joy we experience from our own achievements. Another arises from the happiness we feel when witnessing others’ joy and success, reflecting our empathetic and compassionate nature. Dear readers, I’m sharing with you all one such incident that filled my heart with happiness.
That was my usual day at work and I wanted to create some wow moments for the patients, there I found a 33-33-year-old woman, battling cancer. Despite her pain, she always greeted others with a gentle smile. Her kindness touched everyone she met, showing how powerful compassion can be even during tough times.
During her hospital stay, I noticed that she wasn’t enthusiastic about things anymore. Little did I know she used to have a job, but she had to quit because of her illness. But she really enjoyed working and valued her independence a lot. Being at home and hospital instead was tough for her because she missed the fulfillment that working gave her.
She was in the hospital for chemotherapy, and her mom was her rock throughout this tough time. Her mom stayed by her side, offering hope, positivity, and constant encouragement to keep going. The 33-year-old woman struggled to eat on her own because her hands trembled, so her mom lovingly fed her like she was a child again. The bond between them was incredibly beautiful, a love that words can hardly capture.
During our conversation, I discovered that she enjoyed watching series and had a passion for sketching. So I decided to surprise her with some canvas boards, stencils, and colors. When I suggested it, she hesitated at first, worried about shaky hands, but she eagerly agreed to give it a try. As she carefully painted the canvas with vibrant colors, her face lit up with joy and satisfaction in creating art, and her mother’s face was filled with happiness seeing her daughter so engaged.
After completing the beautiful artwork, she looked at me and said, “Thank you, I gained my confidence back.” These are the words that touched me, the happiness it gave was different and I will cherish it forever. She never expected to be able to paint with shaky hands, but when she tried it came out beautifully and the woman who had lost interest in everything now felt motivated and gained her confidence. The very next day she got discharged with so much positivity and confidence and with much thankfulness to the nurses and doctors who had treated her throughout her stay.
There are times in life when we search for the purpose of living we search for fulfilment but in my life, these are the moments I live for and these are the incidents that give me happiness and fulfilment. As Charlie Chaplin said, “Life laughs at you when you are unhappy. Life smiles at you when you are happy. Life salutes you when you make others happy”. It’s indeed a different form of happiness to make others happy.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Winners of the Super Typist Contest – Phase I – 2024
Congratulations on your outstanding achievement in the Super Typist Contest! Let us take a moment to acknowledge the extraordinary typing skills of the winners of Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet.
First Prize – Ms. Senthamarai.B
Second Prize – Ms.Dayana Jackuline Lilly.I
Third Prize – Ms. Prema.R
GLIMPSES OF THE TRAINING ACTIVITIES
Kauvery-HOPE (HR Induction version 2.0)
We conducted Kauvery-HOPE, a general induction programme for our newbies during the month of June.
Say hello to our new Kauverians!
Keep your eyes peeled because you’re definitely going to see them around. Don’t be shy, say hello – they’re a lively and vibrant group that would love to get to know you.
K-LEAD
We at KCH, Alwarpet strongly believe that it is important for our employees to upskill and we had our K-Lead Champions (Kauvery-Leadership Excellence Academy for Making a Difference) do a Knowledge Transfer session for our employees.
We had Ms.Usha Senthija S.V – Sr. Manager from the Telecommunication department conduct a KT session about “PowerPoint 2016 Advanced” and Mr.Amarnath.R – Asst. Manager conducted a KT session about “Microsoft Excel 2023 – From beginner to expert in 6 hours”.
GLIMPSES OF THE TRAINING ACTIVITIES
We conducted a training session on “Moments of Truth” for the Nursing team. The session was completely activity-based based connecting with real-life experiences.
Back to Basics
We conducted a “Back to basics” training programme for the employees from the Department of Housekeeping. The session was all about communication, a positive attitude and workplace etiquette.
5S – Trainer the Trainer Workshop
We conducted a 5S workshop and our Trainer Mr.Dhanasekar Sundaramoorthy – Group Head Business Excellence shared insights about a five-step methodology that, when followed, creates a more organized and productive workspace. We had 19 participants and through this session the participants learnt about how to train their team and implement this foundational methodology in in their work desk for continuous improvement.
Nursing Training
Dr.Yamini Kannappan and team conducted an awareness session about Delirium for our nurses to provide insights about the behaviour, symptoms of patients with the condition of delirium. Knowledge transfer about how to manage the patient’s bystanders through proper communication and involvement was also one of the topics covered.
Leadership development program was conducted by Dr. Balakrishna Moorthi for all the Nurses from 17th to 19th June 2024. This program was about the Nurses contribution towards quality in healthcare and about how to provide vigilant care of patients during critical circumstances. Through this session, we were able to attain our quench towards imbibing the concepts of nursing quality and as a result, we all became quality fanatics.
Medventure Day
Medventure Day was a workshop that held interactive sessions with Doctors, hands-on training in BLS and CPR, Functions of ECG, and Understanding Ultrasound and Robotic Surgery Systems.
Praxis- Turning Theory Into Practice
Praxis- Turning Theory Into Practice, a summer internship program by the Department of Behavioural Sciences Alwarpet successfully ended with a Valedictory Ceremony.
The participants gained practical knowledge on the subject and were involved in case-based discussions.
Father’s Day
Doctors and Kauvery staff, along with their families, joined for a heartwarming Father’s Day celebration filled with joy and memorable moments.
GLIMPSES OF VANAKKAM KAUVERY
Vanakkam Kauvery, a monthly employee engagement event plays a vital role in fostering strong connections among our employees. It involves the activities of welcoming our newbies to the Kauvery family as they begin their journey with us, appreciate our top performers and recognize the best trainers of Kauvery-HOPE, acknowledging their exceptional commitment to employee development. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our Thangamanasu winner Mr.Sudhakar.K – Ward Assistant.
In the end, we gathered to celebrate the birthdays of our employees. Together as a Kauvery family, we will continue to build a workplace where every employee is valued, respected and empowered to succeed.
Intracardiac Echo Imaging guided Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion proves to be effective and safe in individuals with Stroke & Atrial Fibrillation, in preventing recurrent strokes: Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet
Chennai, – Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet, a unit of Kauvery Group of Hospitals a multispecialty healthcare chain in Tamil Nadu, successfully treated elderly patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke through an advanced procedure.
Atrial fibrillation, particularly prevalent in individuals aged 65 to 70 years and compounded by conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, poses a significant risk of stroke due to blood clots forming in the left atrial appendage (LAA) of the heart. Primary treatment involves anticoagulation therapy, which, while effective, can increase the risk of bleeding, particularly problematic in elderly patients prone to falls and bleeding in the brain and related complications.
Intracardiac Echo (ICE) is an ultrasound device placed inside the heart itself through a blood vessels in the groin (Femoral vein), gives real-time images, allowing doctors to see exactly the size of LAA and accuracy in positioning the LAAO device where they need to be placed safely.
“In elderly patients with atrial fibrillation, managing the risk of stroke without escalating bleeding risks is most important,” explained Dr. Ananthraman R, Senior Interventional Cardiologist Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet, Chennai. “For people who may not be fit for a surgery or unable to tolerate anticoagulation, closing the left atrial appendage emerges as a crucial alternative. This procedure helps prevent clot formation at the source, eliminating the need for strong blood thinners like warfarin or newer oral anticoagulants.”
The procedure, typically is performed under general anesthesia and trans esophageal echo, but in patients with a recent stroke with swallowing difficulty and multiple other comorbidities, this approach will be higher risk. Hence Intracardiac Echo (ICE) guided LAAO under is safe and this has been adapted at Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet to accommodate patients with recent strokes or swallowing impairments. The hospital has successfully performed a series of five cases using this approach safely and successfully. This innovative approach allows for the procedure to be conducted under local anesthesia and mild sedation, even in post-stroke individuals immediately or patients with existing clot in LAA.”
Highlighting the hospital’s capability to deliver this advanced treatment, Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-founder & Executive Director of Kauvery Hospitals expressed confidence in the expertise and infrastructure available. “Intracardiac echo-guided closure procedures is another step towards the direction of providing cutting-edge healthcare solutions. Our hybrid Cath lab and collaboration with expert neurologists make sure that patients receive the highest standard of care with excellent outcomes.”
