Success ‘Delivered’

NiIkhil Ballal & Juili Kulkarni

Is there any joy that is equivalent or more than seeing the first glimpse of a newly born baby? There is seldom any doubt that the innocuous baby brings infinite happiness not only to the family but also to the hospital that has the privilege of bringing a new life to this planet. ‘Delivering’ the best to Thane, Dr Malatibai Chitnis Hospital has unequivocallybecome a household name, courtesy its existence since 1948. Established just a year after India’s independence by Dr Malatibai Chitnis on the auspicious day of Akshay Trutiya on May 11, 1986, the hospital, that is now run by the third generation, continues its strong legacy.

Dr Malatibai Chitnis is one of the first few maternity homes in Thane. Started at the time when educating women was considered to be as rare as hen’s teeth, Dr Malatibai not only educated herself well but also nurtured her enterprising ability to lay the foundation stone of her own hospital. “My grandmother was inarguably an iron woman. Despite not receiving much support from my grandfather, her audacity and ambition to start her own nursing home is commendable”, stated Dr Nikhil Chitnis, the third generation of Dr Malatibai Chitnis Hospital.

First under the tutelage of Dr Malatibai, her son Dr Kishor Chitnis started his practice in 1976, and then under the able aegis of his father Dr Nikhil Chitnis set his foot on the exciting journey in 2006.Like father, like son, Dr Nikhil exudes bonhomie. Rubbing shoulders with Dr Nikhil is his wife Dr Minal, a paediatrician. The camaraderie that is shared by the Chitnis family is the biggest reason for the hospital’s existence of over 70 years.

At the tender age (considering his tremendous passion for work) of 70, Dr Kishor Chitnis puts in as many as 10-12 hours a day and sees a whopping sum of 100 patients.Dr Kishor’s energy keeps flowing just like P.C. Sarcar’s Water of India. “Just a day before the exam, my father who was all set to complete his post-graduation, unfortunately lost his mother. As on that date, Dr Malatibai Chitnis Hospital had a jaw dropping number of 1200 ESI registration already filed, which meant that in the coming nine months, the hospital had to deliver 1200 babies”, averred Dr Nikhil. Picking up from where Dr Malatibai had left, Dr Kishor picked himself up andshouldered the entire responsibility of the Herculean task that was to be followed.

At Malatibai Chitnis Hospital, a plethora of services are on offer which include but are not limited to Fertility Treatments,IVF, Laparoscopic Myomectomy, Laparoscopy Hysterectomy, and Laparoscopic Surgery (Obs & Gyn)and many other surgeries.

Despite the advent of corporate hospitals in Thane, which is attracting a lot of migration, people still prefer a nursing home over the large hospitals. “Easy and direct contact with the doctors, personal touch, homely environment and most importantly not going through the unpleasant experience of panoply of hierarchies, people still prefer the compact nursing homes to the humungous corporate hospitals.Sometimes small is beautiful”, exclaimed Dr Nikhil.

With the entry of young and dashing Dr Nikhil, Dr Malatibai Chitnis Hospital was completely revamped. Modular OT, motorized tables, advanced Laparoscopy instruments, and high-tech anaesthetic pendants were introduced. These advancements ensued safety of patients, reduced infections, increased mobility of doctors,and allowed the doctors to concentrate more on the work rather than the paraphernalia. “Our patients often complained that the prescribed medicines were not easily available to them. In order to find a permanent solution to the problem, I opened a Pharmacy in-house”, stated Dr Chitnis.

His first three years were all about getting the basics right, practising as a conventional obstetrician and gynaecologist. Once Dr Nikhil was thorough with the basics and had gained the required expertise, he was well-equipped to take the plunge to dive into the pool of infertility and IVF, which was relatively oblivious back then in 2009.

“We empathize with our patients who are usually depressed and in order to comfort them we have a solid infrastructure not only in terms of well-trained staff but alsoin terms of medical facilities. We often have pep talks with our staffbecause we believe that if your employees are happy, then they will keep your clients, in our case, patients happy”, described Dr Nikhil. The support staff at the hospital is groomed exceedingly well in terms of how to prepare bed, how to take care of patients, among many things.

The new Malatibai Hospital that opened this Akshay Trutiya on May 7 is a luxurious5000 square feet space decked up in English green colour that signifies fertility. “We take utmost care to make the patients feel at ease. Right from the patient-friendly environment that is composed of state of the art infrastructure, beautifully crafted hospital layout, and refreshments to online scheduling of appointments, we see to it that patients have a hassle free experience”, elucidated Dr Chitnis.

With a stupendous wealth of experience that is spread across seven decades, Dr Malatibai has undoubtedly become a big brand, thanks to three generations of Chitnis family that have been striving relentlessly to keep the legacy going. “Today we have the fourth generation of our then patients coming to us, and this loyalty that we enjoy, I think, speaks volumes of our success”, concluded Dr Nikhil.

Looking at the evolution of Dr Malatibai Chitnis Hospital, which has successfully survived three generations from grandmother to father to grandson, the Japanese saying “Shirtsleeve to Shirtsleeve in three generations” can certainly be put to rest.