Meet Dr. Arun Bhute

I’m originally from Sevagram, Wardha, Nagpur. I come from a well-to-do background. We owned orange orchards and good farmland, so I don’t have the typical “rags to riches” kind of story.

All credit for me becoming a doctor goes to my grandmother. You see, my father himself wanted to be a doctor and had secured admission at Patna Medical College. But his sauteli maa convinced his father to keep him back as support for the farm and orchard, shattering his dream.

So, my father fulfilled that dream by making his children doctors. In fact, one of my cousins (brother) who stayed with us after his mother’s demise is also a doctor today because my father financed his education as well. My sister got married, so sadly she couldn’t continue her education. But fortunately, my elder brother and I did our MBBS from Nagpur Medical College. I completed mine in 1975.

I came to Mumbai in 1976 to pursue my M.S. (Master of Surgery) at Grant Medical College (GMC) and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals. During the course, I also took lectures for MBBS students at JJ Hospital. My M.S. was completed in 1979, but I continued taking lectures there and was paid ₹1,200. From 1978 to 1980, I was also a lecturer at Bombay Hospital, where I received a salary of ₹250 along with food and residence.

I got married in 1982, and naturally, there was a need to earn more. So, that same year, I opened my own clinic in Kurla. My initial consultation fee was ₹50, including medicines.

Later in 1982, I bought a 1 BHK in Shivpuri, opposite the then-famous Akbarallys, and officially became a Chemburkar. I stayed there for a few years, and in 1986, I moved to Sindhi Society.

A few years later, I opened my own hospital in Vashi Naka, next to what is now the Bharat Petroleum monorail station. From day one, I had a rule: whether a patient chose to get operated at my hospital or not, as a surgeon, I would never charge consultation fees. Consultation was completely free.

One thing I must mention is that till today, I have never received the full due amount from any operation I performed. For example, if a patient’s total bill was ₹10,000, I would usually receive only ₹5,000. The common excuse was, “Abhi itne hi hain sir, baaki baad mein denge.” Some patients never returned after discharge, and those who did rarely cleared the balance.

But it didn’t bother me much, because even from those ₹5,000, I earned enough. The reason being, the hospital was my own. I didn’t have to pay anyone. Right from the bed to the instruments needed for operations — everything belonged to me.

Owning the hospital also gave me the opportunity to do pro bono work. Earlier, we had tied up with a few municipal schools to operate on students suffering from hernia, hydrocele, or other minor conditions — at a minimal cost of ₹1,000, or sometimes even free.

Now, I’m almost 75. I no longer do surgeries, but I still visit my clinic at Nehru Nagar, Kurla, to keep myself busy. Kyuki baithe baithe badan ko jung lag jaata hai. Even at home, I make sure to walk around every now and then to stay active.