Dr. K.K. Aggarwal is a renowned cardiologist and senior physician in India. He has received several prestigious national awards, including the Padma Shri, Dr. B.C. Roy National Award, and the DST National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science and Technology, making him the first doctor to receive all three. Throughout his career, Dr. Aggarwal has pioneered several medical advances, founded numerous organizations focused on public health, and advocated for increased government funding and support for healthcare access and research in India. In this interview, he discusses several issues facing the medical system in India and offers recommendations to improve diagnosis, reduce healthcare costs, curb spurious medicines, and promote further research.

1. 60 Woman’s Era G March (Second) 2014
MBBS Generation today lacks the skill.
By Megha Jetley
A
keen educator, sensitiser
and a trainer, in simpler
term a Man with utmost
Excellence, Dr K.K.
Aggarwal a well-known
cardiologist and senior
physician who is presently
the Senior Consultant
Physician and Cardiologist
and Dean of the Board of
Medical Education Moolchand
Medcity, New Delhi, India. The
Founder, Trustee and President of
Heart Care Foundation of India and
Chairman Ethics Committee Delhi
Medical Council. He served Delhi
Medical Association as its president
and Indian Medical Association as
the Honorary Finance Secretary for
the year 2007-2008 and also
remained the Chairman of IMA
Academy of Medical Specialities and
Director of IMA AKN Sinha Institute.
From a small one bedroom flat in
Hauz Qazi (Old Delhi) where he grew
up with 9 brothers and sisters he
started his journey towards success
and today he holds many prestigious
awards, including two National
Awards Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy
National Award and on February 28,
2014 he also received DST National
Award for Outstanding Efforts in
Science and Technology and
became the first doctor in the country
to have received these three National
Awards.
He's a pioneer in introducing Clot
Dissolving Streptokinase Therapy in
India along with Dr K L Chopra in
1984. He's also known for organising
the 'Perfect Health Mela' every year
since 1993. A pioneer in medical
journalism with the publication of 30
journals and newspapers catering to
doctors. He's the CMD, Publisher
and Group Editor-in-Chief of IJCP
Group of Publications. He's also
known as a writer, columnist and
expert for newspapers and TV
shows. He has created a simple CPR
10 mantra.
“To revive a person from sudden
cardiac death, within 10 minutes of
death (earlier the better), at least for
the next 10 minutes (longer the
better), compress the centre of the
chest of the dead person by 11/2”
distance continuously with a speed
of 10x10 i.e. 100 per minute.”
Here is an excerpt from an
interview
You have a big list of
achievements, you received the
Padma Shri, then BC Roy National
Award and many more and now
DST National Science and
Communication Award for your
excellent efforts in science &
technology. So what are your
further expectations?
I dedicate all of these awards to
my parents, without whom I would
not have been the person I am today.
They not only taught me the value of
hard work but also encouraged me
to always work towards the
betterment of the society. It is all
because of their love and upbringing.
I hope that in the future as well, I
can help make a difference to the
society and work towards making
India a healthier nation.
Do you have any campaigns for
the weaker sections of the
society?
As a part of the NGO, we have a
Heart Care Foundation Fund through
which we provide assistance to heart
FIRST INDIAN
DOCTOR
WITH THREE
NATIONAL
AWARDS

2. patients from weaker sections of the
society. Patients with congenital
heart disease, valvular heart disease
or blockages in heart can approach
us for assistance.
How would you reduce the
health burden on the exchequer
(government fund)?
This year, India’s defence budget
is 2 lakh crores and for health it is
around 33000 crores. I personally
feel that the healthcare budget
should be increased. Every citizen in
the country has a fundamental right
to receive cost-effective, safe and
effective healthcare. It is important
for the Indian Government to
concentrate on prevention as most
diseases are preventable. The areas
of focus include respiratory, water,
sexual, food and hand hygiene.
The American insurance
companies are on a drive for the
entire doctor fraternity in the US.
What do you think is the role of
Indian Insurance Companies to
give better healthcare?
Today, no one in India can drive a
vehicle without an insurance.
Similarly, health insurance should be
made compulsory for all. The
Government should pay the premium
for those who cannot afford it. I can
narrate here a Jajoo Model of
Insurance from Sevagram, Wardha
where people pay Dhaan (cereal)
according to their capacity and avail
Kasturba Health Society Insurance
cover. In this model, people who
cannot pay the premium can still
contribute in terms of their crops and
get insured.
Since Indian doctors see an
unprecedented number of cases,
their diagnosis should be very
good, but it is seen that most
Indian doctors fault on diagnosis?
Would you like to comment on
that?
Traditionally Indian doctors have
been very good at diagnosis.
However, I feel that the present-day
level of training is where the problem
lies. Today most doctors enroll into
an MBBS course by paying a
capitation fee and fail to concentrate
on their skill development. Also,
given that the number of post-
graduate seats are 50 per cent lesser
than the MBBS seats, most doctors
do not get proper training during their
internship. It is essential for the
Medical Council of India to take this
issue under debate and come up with
ways of resolving it.
Usually when you go to a
doctor at the very start he/she
asks you to get all the tests done?
Why canʼt the doctor spend a little
more time with the patient and
give him/her a patient hearing?
Ideally, all doctors should spend
10-15 minutes with each of their
patients. However, most of the times
this is not possible for them due to
their workload. I recall my early
training days during internship. We
used to handle almost 200 patients
in 120 minutes.
We in fact were taught ways in
which we could manage patients in
lesser time. But today’s generation of
doctors is lacking that skill leading to
more and more diagnoses getting
missed. To ensure any slip-ups and
to be doubly sure, it is for this reason
several doctors ask patients to get
tests done which otherwise should
have been avoided.
Also, there has been a definite
rise in over-investigation of the
patient ever since the medical
profession has come under the
Consumer Protection Act.
In your opinion do you think
impact of spurious medicine
(Ranbaxy case) can be curbed in
India?
There are two types of spurious
medicines – the first category is that
of disproportionate medicines where
the medicine is of lesser strength
than what is indicated on the
packaging. For instance, a tablet of
antibiotics may state that it contains
1000 mg of the drug but in reality 900
mg is the actual product and 100 is a
mixer used to bring down the
manufacturing cost. These medicines
as per law need to be curbed.
Counterfeit medicines on the other
hand are those which are completely
erroneous products and do not
contain any similarities to the original
medicine. However, disproportionate
medicines contribute to as high as 5-
10 per cent of the market.
Since currently giving license to
manufacture a drug comes under the
State; it is not possible for the
Government of India to implement
quality standards. In my opinion the
Indian Government should restrict
Woman’s Era G March (Second) 2014 61
Dr K.K. Aggarwal receives DST award on 28 February 2014.

3. number of companies making a
single molecule. In America, only one
company is allowed to manufacture
and sell a particular drug but in India
for one drug, there may be hundreds
of companies selling the same
molecule.
AIIMS is regarded as the Mecca
of medicine in India. Where does
it really lack except for the
treatments of VIPs?
The basic objective of AIIMS is to
treat difficult and complex cases and
provide tertiary care. The treatment
should be alike for both the VIPs and
the common man.
It is said that if one was to get a
bypass surgery in Cleveland Clinic
in the US, it will last as twice in
India. Is this true?
I do not agree with the belief that
getting a bypass surgery in the US
gives better results than getting it
done in India.
The duration for which a treatment
lasts depends on the genetic make-
up of each race. Americans have
larger arteries and this could
contribute to the longevity of the
treatment. Unlike Americans, Indians
have more serious and diffuse
blockages and the success rate of a
bypass surgery whether done in India
or in America will be poorer
compared to American patients.
Something you would like the
government to really do in the area
of research which will benefit the
population at large-a message to
government.
I feel that the government should
have a separate fund to promote
research both in the public and
private sector. In addition to this there
should also be a focus on joint
research between Allopathy and
other systems of medicines.
Also, it is important that all private
practitioners are looped into the
national health programme so that
their data can also be added to the
research. Today, research is limited
only to that done by postgraduate
students, a mere formality.
Indian researchers are not
acknowledged the way American
researchers are and it is important
that we have more on the lines of the
Nobel Prize so that more and more
doctors get motivated to undertake
research projects.
Do you have any special
programmes for health problems
related to women?
More women die of heart attack in
a year than cancer. In a survey
conducted by us it was found that 90
per cent of women are unaware that
heart disease is more dangerous
than cancer of the breast or any other
type in women. As a step towards
creating awareness, we run a special
campaign called Glow Red Take
Care of Your Sweetheart. We firmly
believe that the problem of heart
diseases in women is constantly
rising in India.
62 Woman’s Era G March (Second) 2014
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