They had walked out of the building years ago with school bags on their backs. On Sunday, they retraced those steps as doctors who wanted to give back to their alma mater.
Doctors, who were students of South Point High School, have come together to serve the school and its members, past and present. On Sunday, 30 of them met at the school for their first meeting.
The ball was set rolling by Jyotirup Goswami and Siddhartha Chatterjee last November. “We formed a WhatsApp group of medical professionals. Within two weeks it had 300 members,” said Goswami, an oncologist of the Higher Secondary (HS) 1996 batch. The count has crossed 450 now.
Sunday’s meeting had Pointers from across generations, from Jaidev Sengupta, a 1970 passout, to Pramit Mukherjee, of the class of 2012. “South Point already has a Care wing (formed in 2008) that provides support to retired teachers. This group will cater to the larger community of teachers, staffers, students, alumni and their families,” said paediatric surgeon Parthapratim Gupta, a 1973 passout.
The group, named Aspexs Medics, would operate under the Association of South Point Ex Students (Aspexs). “The group would help with treatment, health awareness and career counseling. The Aspexs website will have an interactive space where information would be provided on and from doctors of the group,” said Goswami, the convenor.
The committee will meet virtually every month and physically every two or three months.
“We plan to start with basic life support courses. Workshops would be held in batches to teach teachers and staffers how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and operate a defibrillator. They would also be taught emergency measures if a child falls and suffers a fracture,” said Gupta, the group president.
There will be health camps and awareness sessions.
“Students will be alerted about the perils of obesity and lack of physical activity. Parents should be aware of the nutritional value of the food they pack in the tiffin box. Screening can also be done for metabolic disorders,” said Debmalya Sanyal, an endocrinologist from the batch of HS 1992.
Another interesting plan is hospital observership along with career counselling. “We will interact with them and plan visits of high school students to hospitals so they can have a feel of the place. That is done in the UK,” said Gupta.
Added Sanyal: “Fewer bright students are joining this profession due to long-drawn training, the uncertainty of success, fear of medico-legal hassles and exposure to other career opportunities. We will counsel them about the healthcare streams and stress the need for empathy as a personality trait in a doctor.”
The group will also guide the school in framing skill development lessons that need to be rolled out by the 2025 academic session.
“The CBSE has issued a circular based on this aspect of the National Education Policy. The doctors can help us impart the skills listed in it with a medical angle, like the life cycle of medicines and vaccines, and things to do before a doctor arrives,” said KrishnaDamani, Aspexs president and vice-chairman of the school managing committee.