Dr. Sneh Bhargava, a trailblazer in Indian medicine, has just published her memoir, "The Woman Who Ran AIIMS," at the age of 95. As the first and only woman director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, Dr. Bhargava made history when she took on the role in 1984. On the very day of her appointment, a shocking event unfolded - the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Bhargava recounts how she was in her office when a colleague urgently called her to the casualty ward, where she encountered Gandhi, gravely injured. “My first thought was to help her protect her from harm,” Bhargava reflected. Amid mounting chaos from a crowd outside, it became clear that Gandhi had been shot by her own bodyguards in retaliation for military actions against militants earlier that year.
In her book, Dr. Bhargava describes the harrowing process of working to preserve Gandhi's body, ultimately revealing that Gandhi's death occurred before she arrived at AIIMS. The entire team had to maintain the pretense of trying to save her life until her son, Rajiv Gandhi, was sworn in as the new prime minister.
The memoir also touches on Dr. Bhargava's rich history, from being the only female student in her radiology program in London to her commitment to establishing radiology as a staple of medical treatment at AIIMS. Despite political pressures and challenges throughout her career, Dr. Bhargava has always placed patient care first.
She urges the next generation of women to seek support and strive for equality: "Parents should encourage daughters just as they do sons," she emphasizes. Dr. Bhargava's extraordinary legacy in medicine and her captivating story continues to inspire future leaders and healthcare professionals.
