Harvinder Khetal

In the passing away of Dr R Kumar, the voice that amplified nagging medical issues in simple terms in many English and Hindi newspapers and other public fora has been silenced. An eye specialist having worked with the PGI, Chandigarh, Dr Ram Kumar was a prolific writer and author of many medical books.

A strong proponent of practising a healthy lifestyle to nip sickness in the bud, in his later years, he had floated the Society of Ethical and Affordable Health Care (SPEAK) to espouse this passionate belief and to serve the community. As its president, he organised many seminars to spread the importance of what he never tired of emphasising: “Believe in health care, not medical treatment. Don’t be medical minded, be health minded.”

His abiding prescription to all patients was to work towards rooting out the cause of the illness, rather than just treating the symptoms with pills and potions. No wonder he laid stress on preferring on preventive care and vaccine over curative medicine. His daily routine of taking a walk and eating simple food and leading a disciplined life mirrored what he preached. It helped. Even at 75, he was agile and working.

I was fortunate to associate with him in his seminars held in the tricity and benefited immensely from the insightful and expert opinions disseminated therein. The one that stands out prominently is the candid discussion laying bare the underbelly of India’s pharmaceutical industry as also the use and abuse of drugs. The other one was on the health hazards of pollution.

Dr R Kumar would be a familiar figure to The Tribune readers. He has been a regular contributor of special articles for over two decades. Always eager to educate the public on a wide ranging issues of fitness and wellness – from fats to euthanasia, eye ailments to TB and hospital infections – his astute observations lent great value to our pages. In the past few years, as I handled the Oped page, he has been one of the go-to authorities on medical topics. Eager as a fresher, he would often lay out five ideas at once, making my task of choosing one difficult as all of would be interesting. Ever since the pandemic broke out, he has unravelled so many aspects of the coronavirus, Covid, treatment and vaccines.

Unfortunately, it was complications due to the virus that ultimately claimed his life. One of his last messages on Facebook on May 7 poignantly revealed his status: ‘Corona jaane ka naam nahi lai rahi, mujhe bhi hasptal mein gher rakha hai, good wishes from all of you please.” He battled the disease for about a month before succumbing to it on May 30. Hailing from a village in Kaithal, Haryana, he studied MBBS from Government Medical College, Patiala. He is survived by his wife, son and grandson.