The best doctor always needs to develop an abundance of patience, to explain and educate a patient before prescribing drugs. Arafath Hussain, 4th year student of General Medicine Faculty at Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, an owner of International Awards in art and crafts, shares his story of entering YSMU big family.
21-year-old future cardiothoracic surgeon has come to Armenia from the South of India. “I was born in Pondicherry, India. My native is Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, which is also known as “Temple town”. Chidambaram, the name of the city and the temple: literally, it means “atmosphere of wisdom” or “clothed in thought.” The language we speak is “Tamil”(தமிழ்) language. It is recognized as one of the oldest languages in the world. I’m so proud of our traditions and culture. As like Armenia, great for its history and its culture”, Arafath emphasizes.
While telling about himself, the student remembers proudly that his school awarded him as the “Best outgoing student” for his excellent performance on all the activities, when he completed his school studies. “I also spend time with my hobbies whenever I have free time. I used to sketch portrait art, painting, and I am the owner of International Awards in art and crafts. I love traveling different places and exploring new countries, enjoying good food with a glass of fresh juice and nice music. And, I love teaching, so I post “Daily updates on medical information and the knowledge I study at the University” in my page on Instagram, which can be so much useful for other medical students”, Arafath notes. The Indian student has also been an active member of YSMU Bio medical club of Physiology.
“When I was young, I was living in a small town: there were no specialised hospitals and doctors. One day, when I was walking around the road, it's a highway, suddenly in a seconds of blinking eyes, an accident happened in front of my eyes. It was a car crash: the car hit a bus, the wheel of the car busted, and the car rolled and hit a tree. It happened near me. I was young, and I shouted to call people nearby for the help, everyone came, and rescued the people inside the car. They were severely injured and had bleeding. They screamed with that pain”, Arafath remembers with horror. It was a family in that car, according to him, there was a kid whose hand was injured, and the driver, unfortunately, died in that spot. “Others were taken to hospital by ambulance, but they had severe deep injuries, and as there were no specialised hospitals nearby, they were took to hospital which was far. But, unfortunately, on the way to hospital they passed away. After seeing and feeling this, I thought of value of a life, so, this incident was deeply ingrained in my heart. At that time, I couldn't help, but after that I thought I should become a doctor in the future to save the suffering and cure people from their pain”, Arafath tells.
Working for humanity is his dream. “I love Medicine I love experience more things in Medicine. The awe of discovering the human body, the honour of being trusted to give advice, the gratitude for helping someone through a difficult illness – these things never grow old. I believe that anyone can achieve his or her dreams if they take the opportunities given. Work hard, until you don't need to introduce yourself anymore!”, Arafath calls.
Telling about how he chose Armenia and YSMU for further education, the Indian student says sincerely: “I always wished to study abroad. I had a desire to go to other countries for my graduate studies. So, I searched for the top ranking university and best countries. My family has Armenian friends (the most wonderful people). They told us about YSMU where many Indians were already studying. My father just said: “Yes!”, because Armenians were also very well known for their hospitality”, Arafath assures. He adds that he also gathered information about the University in Internet. “And the first thing I noticed is how old is our University! I was amazed while seeing it has been operating since 1920! And when seeing the website, I got more information about the University, the education, the student reviews, the alumni (especially, Dr. Barath Reddy – an Indian film actor balancing a dual career as a doctor and an actor), the infrastructure and all. I also checked in my locality about our University Alumni, I contacted them – excellent physicians and superiors. I was so excited when I heard that opinion: “I am very proud to say that I have graduated from Yerevan State Medical University!” I would like to mention that last year our university – YSMU – has been recognized as “The Best Foreign Medical University for Indians” during the “Education Excellence, Global Choice” Awards in New Delhi, India. And, at last, our University familiarized me with numerous trustworthy friends and endearing teachers”, Arafath tells gladly.
“I love Armenia!!!”, Arafath says in Armenian. He feels like Armenia is his second motherland. “Armenia is a beautiful place of nature, and the culture and traditions are similar to Indians. People here are so kind and goodhearted! They treat us like family members. There are many beautiful places in Armenia – the beautiful view of Ararat, for example. I love the clean and pure water of Armenia, and all the streets have water fountains: it's really great! Besides all this, I feel very safe here!”, Arafath emphasizes.
YSMU, according to him, is the best, because it has excellent teachers who clear all the doubts. “And they don't hesitate to teach again if we do not understand. They also give and share updated information. I appreciate all the teachers of YSMU, not only in teaching, but also in their caring. In this COVID situation, they passed online classes and explained everything to us very well. And in past days we enjoyed our practical classes. I would like to thank my teachers who are so supportive, motivate and cheer me in all activities”, Arafath says.
The Indian student is a future cardiothoracic surgeon, who specializes in surgical procedures of the heart, lungs, oesophagus and other organs in the chest. “I prefer to operate on diseases that occur in the organs inside the chest, in the bony structures and tissues that form the chest cavity, because we know that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally. Heart disease is still the world’s biggest killer!”, Arafath reaffirms. 4 out of 5 CVD deaths, he continues, are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age. “We can identify those at highest risk of CVDs and prevent premature deaths, ensuring they receive appropriate treatment”, Arafath adds.
Medicine, according to him, is not a profession: it is service. “And it's all about caring by helping patients minimize their pain and recover from a disease faster. It is important to help patients when they are hurt or have fallen ill. We should comfort them when they are scared, and when they are suffering. And, most importantly, we should preserve their most valuable resource – good health. Our professor Dr. Samvel Malkhasyan (General surgery teacher) always reminds us: “The disease alone should not be cured, along with cure the patient also”, Arafath says.
According to him, t's a long way to become a doctor. “In order to become a good doctor it’s necessary to respect people, whether they are healthy or ill, regardless of who they are. The doctor must be able to be touched by the patient's life, as well as his or her illness. And the best doctor will always need to develop an abundance of patience, to explain and educate before prescribing drugs to a patient. The key to become a good doctor is to gain the confidence”, Arafath shares his view.
At the end, he wishes good luck to everyone. “Never limit yourself, remember that difficult roads always lead to a beautiful destination”, he advises.
The works of the future cardiothoracic surgeon and talented portrait painter Arafath Hussain are available below. Arafath is also the author of an interesting video telling about YSMU volunteers fighting against coronavirus along with doctors on the frontline.
Author: Tatevik Ghazaryan