Dr. Irfaan Khan Chady
– The long journey to becoming an Orthopaedic Surgeon and the reason behind returning to my motherland.
Returning to Mauritius, the country of my heart and soul, and of course family, is a possibility that I had debated many times previously with my late father and is now a reality. Ingrained with the core values of never giving up, I have worked hard to reach where I am, and I am conscious of the journey still left in front of me to make my dreams come true. I am not without knowing of the significant challenges and the fierce competition to progress in a career, which I have chosen, as an orthopaedic surgeon.
The love for medicine and medical practice runs in the family. My biggest inspiration is my late grandfather, Dr. Ayoob Mia Sorefan, followed by my own parents, my late father and my mother, who has made a career in psychiatry, and is still active in community services.
To be specialised as an Orthopaedic Specialist begins with basic surgical training after medical school. After medical school, a difficult year in Mauritius pushed me to go abroad again. In fact, it was what I needed to specialise. The limits for doctors at home to specialise is unfortunate and needs to change. There is an obvious gap with the number of graduated doctors and specialists. And it can be hard at times to find an adequate specialist.
Difficulty that doctors face after their primary degree
The authorities must be aware of the limited possibility of specialisation that is present in Mauritius. As a result, we have a varied pool of specialists in the country. There is no proper pathway for doctors wishing to pursue a specialisation. This situation has its limitations and presents difficulties for medical discussions but also reflects on patient care. It is high time for training pathways with accredited facilities. Any productive society needs a healthy healthcare system. After the experience working in the HSE Ireland and NHS UK, I wish to contribute to help to improve healthcare and avoid obvious mistakes of a free healthcare system.
I arrived in Ireland and eventually had the opportunity to start my surgical pathway. This was possible at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin attached to the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. In a way that was fate, RCSI is where my parents graduated with their medical degree. I always refer to it as the ultimate training for a surgeon, whereby, I did rotations in general, vascular, plastics and orthopaedic surgery.
Thus started my fascination for bone surgery. The biomechanics and technical aspect of Orthopaedic surgery is what ultimately attracted me. It takes a minimum of 8 years to complete the training. After years of training going through house officer and specialist registrar posts, I was finally an Orthopaedic Specialist, following all the sub parts of Orthopaedics during my training including spine, paediatrics and tumours. Lastly, I decided to continue Fellowships in Oxford and London. My focus has been trauma, hip and knee, sports and arthroscopic surgery.
How do we deal with major trauma and if we were to have a mass casualty?
We have an array of specialists and expensive clinics, but not the ability to deal with trauma cases, such as the amputated Fatimah. Cases where time is of essence. A trauma team consisting of experts plastic surgeons, general surgeons, orthopaedics and intensivists needs to be readily available, as per my experience as trauma lead in Oxford.
The Appeal of Home
There is no better feeling than to give your all to help your own people. Since the last elections, home has become attractive again. We can expect more professionals to return, where there is now renewed hope for an improved country with equal opportunities, with promised major reforms to address same and competent professionals to bring about change. After the 60-0, the opportunity to improve the electoral system has become ever more so present given that this might constitute the legacy that the two current leaders may leave.
I have experienced the world of politics first hand. From the elections of 1991 when my father was first elected in no 19 Rose Hill, at the time marked the revival of the Labour Party, until the later years, I have been in a position to understand the world of politics. The public sees the glorious facet of it all: the TV broadcasting, pictures with president etc… The reality is that it is a full-time job, and it is not given to bring new ideas or ‘Kas ban bastion’, not talking about the backstabbing and the dirty politics to bring you down, once you have reached the highest levels. Which is definitely the story of Siddick Chady until the very end, becoming a scapegoat. There is a sense of injustice that he himself understood at the end and I have come to terms with that. God knows best.
I have come home with the best intentions to serve my fellow citizens and my country, eventually. I believe that the values passed on to me by my parents and grandparents have forged me for a life and career of service, to defend values and help people in need. My ultimate goal is not only to make it as a surgeon but contribute to the bettering of my country, my home.
