The Kolkata doctor who finds house visits ‘relaxing’

What if the patient was my father or my mother? I advise accordingly, says Dr. Chel

At a time when seeing your neighbourhood general physician or a specialist in the nearest hospital for a non-COVID-19 ailment is challenging enough, to have a doctor examining you in the comfort of your home is nothing short of a luxury. It’s a luxury that a growing number of families in Kolkata’s Salt Lake City feels entitled to in times of need — all thanks to a medical practitioner who, in fact, finds house visits relaxing. “Once I examine a patient, the family’s worries are put to rest. What usually follows is a chit-chat, a small adda, which I find very relaxing. It is my way of relaxation in between seeing patients, and I see patients nearly all day,” says Dr. Rajesh Kumar Chel, 46, who is also attached to four large hospitals in the city, including AMRI and ILS. Dr. Chel is indeed a busy man; in every five minutes one spends with him, he receives almost as many calls, and the callers would invariably be someone waiting for him to show up, either at their homes or in one of the hospitals. He visits 8-10 homes daily — mostly in response to calls from people with elderly parents — apart from spending time in the Out Patient Departments of the four hospitals.