Indian doctor abandons car in traffic and runs 3km to save patient’s life

Dr Govind Nandakumar was on his way to conduct an emergency surgery when he was caught up in traffic, and decided to leave his car to prevent delays to the surgery.

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Photo: Collected

September 13, 2022

DHAKA – Bengaluru is notorious for its traffic, which makes simple routes seem unendingly long. However, the story of a doctor who made an exceptional decision to save his patient’s life is proving to be motivating.

On August 30, Dr Govind Nandakumar, a gastrointestinal surgeon at Manipal Hospitals, was on his way to conduct an emergency laparoscopic gallbladder surgery when he got caught up in traffic on the Sarjapur-Marathalli stretch, reports NDTV.

Nandakumar left his car and ran 3km to do the crucial surgery, realising that a delay might put the female patient in danger. He even uploaded a brief video of his run on his Instagram account.

“I commute every day from central Bangalore to Manipal Hospitals, Sarjapur, which is in the Southeast of Bangalore. I left home well in time for the surgery. My team was all set and prepared to perform the surgery as soon as I would reach the hospital. Looking at the huge traffic, I decided to leave the car with the driver and ran towards the hospital without thinking twice,” he said.

Nandakumar’s team, which was prepared to sedate the patient, got right to work as soon as he entered the operating room. The doctor quickly changed into surgical clothes to begin the surgery, the report said.

The surgery went smoothly, and the patient was released on time.

Nandkumar is a Gastroenterology consultant at Manipal Hospitals. The patient needed the operation since she had been suffering from gallbladder disease for a long time, it added.

Heavy rain in recent weeks has caused flooding and traffic delays in the IT hub. Many images surfaced on social media showing vehicles stalled on a lengthy stretch of flooded Bengaluru-Mysuru motorway, as well as people trying to walk.

Boats were used to evacuate stranded individuals in several locations, the report concluded.

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