BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital teams up with Make a Wish Foundation for a special initiative

Gleneagles Global Hospitals partnered with ‘Make a Wish’ Foundation this National Doctors Day to help realize the dreams of a 10-year-old girl child who desires to grow up and become a doctor. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a globally recognised non-profit organisation that grants wishes for children who are diagnosed with critical or rare illnesses such as leukaemia and brain tumours. On National Doctor’s Day, staff across the Gleneagles Global Hospitals network rallied together to fulfill the dreams of young kids who aspired of being doctors.

Madhushree enjoyed a dream day after becoming BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital’s latest ‘doctor recruit’. The 10-year-old was all smiles as she interacted with doctors and staff at the hospital. Madhushree’s mother said it was a special day for her daughter, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness when she was just 8 months old. For the past 10 years, she has had to visit the hospital every 20 days to manage her condition. Yet, her dream has been to become a doctor to help the sick and treat them so that they do not have to endure adversities as she has.

Madhushree’s family describes her as strong-willed and always smiling. She loves to play, read and draw. Her favorite subject is Kannada.

Madhushree shared her experience of playing the role of a doctor. She said “From a very young age, I used to tell my parents that I want to become a doctor. I believe doctors give hope to me and many others like me. I want to be able to give the same hope to a patient when I grow older. Today, doctors here taught me how to take a pulse and listen to the heartbeat. They took me on a complete tour of the hospital! I got to talk to all the doctors and ask them anything that came to my mind. I had so much fun!”

On the morning of July 1, Madhushree was welcomed by the doctors & staff into the hospital. She was then presented with her very own doctor coat marked with her name. Following this, she spends the day as a doctor normally would, with a  visit to the OPD, meeting with doctors and patients, a tour of the radiology department, where she got to see and touch the various medical equipment used in scanning. The doctors also gifted her a few items that would be valuable for her in school.

Dr. Neema Bhat, Consultant Paediatric Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant Physician, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital said “Kids with chronic illnesses, which requires regular hospital visits, experience a significant difference in their demeanor and general well-being with hope and joy. Seeing their dream become reality gives them this hope and solidifies their dreams. It is very important to keep the streak of hope alive in these children. We were extremely happy to spend a few hours with Madhushree and to see the sparkle in her eye, away from her mundane medical appointments and transfusion visits. She is such a funny, smart and beautiful child.”

Ms. Shailaja Suresh, CEO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bengaluru said, “This National Doctors Day, I would like to thank all of our gifted physicians for their commitment, sacrifice, and hard work. While planning for this collaboration with Make a Wish Foundation, we were introduced to Madhushree, a young child who has been put through unfortunate circumstances all her life. You would expect her to despise hospitals and having to meet more doctors. Instead, she nurtures a dream to become a doctor so that she too can be of service to people in need. We couldn’t have hoped for a more meaningful interaction on this day and I hope this day has put a smile on the faces of our doctors as well as the little girl who was kind enough to spend time with us.“

National Doctors’ Day is celebrated every year on the 1st of July to recognize the contributions of doctors to individuals and to the society at large. This Doctors’ Day, a collaborative effort with Make a Wish Foundation meant 4 young children across Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai & Mumbai units of the Gleneagles Global Hospitals network had a unique experience, playing the role of a doctor.