‘I couldn’t thank Mrs. Gandhi’: Sneh Bhargava, former director of AIIMS

“If Indira Gandhi can run the country, why can’t a woman run the country’s premier medical institution?” This was Dr. Sneh Bhargava’s reply to individuals upset {that a} girl from a low-profile Radiology division was appointed as director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, in 1984. She stays the primary — and solely girl — to have helmed AIIMS up to now seven many years. But what Dr. Bhargava by no means would have imagined was how day one as AIIMS director on October 31, 1984, would unfold.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been shot by two bodyguards within the morning and was rushed to AIIMS. “She had approved my appointment as AIIMS director barely 10 days ago; I never got an opportunity to thank her. At 9 a.m. on October 31 the meeting confirming me as director was underway when we were informed the Prime Minister was in casualty. It was unthinkable that a PM could come to the hospital without prior notice. I sensed something was terribly amiss,” remembers Dr. Bhargava.

When she entered the casualty, she noticed two resident docs in a state of shock who pointed in the direction of a gurney, on which the physique lay nonetheless. Dr. Bhargava noticed Mrs. Gandhi’s signature grey-streaked hair, the pronounced aquiline nostril and her saffron sari soaked in blood. The Prime Minister’s private secretary R.Ok. Dhawan, her shut aide M.L. Fotedar and daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi have been in tears. For the following 4 hours, the docs tried to revive the Prime Minister, however in useless. Dr. Bhargava had realised this early sufficient.

It was one of probably the most troublesome days at work, admits Dr. Bhargava. And she has had a number of robust days, by advantage of being among the many few girls radiologists within the nation at a time when the self-discipline was nonetheless evolving. Known for her guts to name out and stand in opposition to political strain, Dr. Bhargava’s precedence remained affected person well being care. When the pandemic pressured her to remain residence, she started writing her memoir.

On June 23, Dr. Bhargava turned 95 and launched her guide, The Woman Who Ran AIIMS. Edited excerpts from an interview at her Delhi residence:

Question: How do you keep in mind October 31, 1984, with such readability?

Answer: My reminiscence guided me. I’ve at all times performed my work passionately and loved each second; that’s the reason all the things got here again to me easily. Many occasions I felt I haven’t performed something spectacular that must be documented. But as ideas and recollections stored flowing, I felt I had a narrative to inform.

Q: It is such an irony that on the day you joined as AIIMS director, the girl who appointed you was introduced for emergency therapy. Did you’ve gotten a meltdown?

A: Of course. But I knew I needed to do my work as knowledgeable. The meltdown needed to be stored within the background. My solely remorse is I wasn’t in a position to personally thank Mrs. Gandhi for believing in me and giving me the duty of working AIIMS.

Q: Could you describe the day?

A: My intuition informed me one thing was incorrect as a result of the Prime Minister was delivered to casualty with out prior data. I noticed her profusely bleeding physique and instantly determined with two of our high surgeons to place her on the center lung machine and see if we might revive her. We didn’t understand how and what had occurred to her. My foremost thought was to maintain her physique secure.
There have been bullets in her chest, liver, stomach which have been dropping off on the bottom and blood was oozing from each organ. She had a uncommon B-minus blood group. The protocol dictated we hold two bottles of blood within the fridge for the Prime Minister. The two bottles completed very quickly and we known as up each hospital in Delhi; Only O-minus (common donor) could possibly be procured.
I knew Mrs. Gandhi was no extra. The Congress leaders didn’t desire a energy hole and informed us to not announce something however hold engaged on her until the get together took a call and the President and her son reached Delhi. Our surgeons stored infusing blood by means of the a number of wounds within the physique and it stored draining out.

Q: How troublesome was it to embalm the physique?

A: We have been unable to inject the embalming fluid by means of the arteries. It stored oozing out. So the anatomy division ensured the face was stored intact as there have been no wounds there. I requested Sonia Gandhi to go residence and get a recent set of garments for Mrs Gandhi.

Q: How did you handle with different logistics and the swelling crowd exterior AIIMS?

A: There have been tense moments. One of our Sikh docs fled the OT when he learnt Mrs. Gandhi had been killed by her Sikh bodyguards. Gautam Kaul, who was the Additional Commissioner of Police and a primary cousin of Mrs. Gandhi, dealt with the bandobast and in addition helped us with medico-legal formalities. It by no means struck us that there could be an inquiry.

We had made solely surgical notes however he informed us to organize a proper autopsy report with pictures and in addition get a ballistic report and referred us to a ballistic knowledgeable, whom we acquired into AIIMS with a lot problem.

As docs, our focus was on controlling Mrs. Gandhi’s blood loss and we hadn’t taken an X-ray of her leg the place she was first hit. When we took the X-ray of her leg, it revealed that the bullet was totally different from those that have been lodged in her physique. This was the primary proof of use of two totally different weapons. We recorded it and it helped us throughout the inquest later.