Dr. Joy Sarkar, alumni from Coochbehar talks about how his interest to provide quality health facility at affordable cost lead him to become an AYUSH doctor

During the present Covid 19 pandemic AYUSH Doctors are working tirelessly to provide much needed support to our country’s health care system. They are servicing in the frontline, especially in rural and remote areas, where conventional health care has not reached yet. They are in charge of manning village clinics and spreading awareness among the local population, which is essential to curb the spread of disease as well as the growing fear among people.

One such AYUSH doctor who has been working over a decade is Dr. Joy Sarkar of Sharada Sishu Tirtha, Sarada Nagar, Coochbehar.

Dr. Sarkar had grown up watching his father, who was also a doctor serving people selflessly. So from a very early age he had an inclination towards the profession, which was further strengthened while studying in Sharada Sishu Tirtha, where he was taught the importance of assisting others who are in need.

His academic journey started with Sharada Sishu Tirtha, where he had studied till class IV and completed his higher schooling till class XII from Maharaja Nripendra Narayan High School, Cooch Behar. He completed his B.H.M.S degree from Kharagpur Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital in 2009.

The passionate doctor divides his time between running his own clinic at Silver Jubilee Road, Coochbehar, running his own NGO and visiting nearby villages for health camps.

Talking about his profession, Dr. Sarkar said that he has always felt a need to serve his society and felt that being a doctor was one of the best ways to do so. From his experience he has seen how most of the general public often struggle to bear the high costs of medical treatment in our country. They often have to sell their every valuable possession to save their loved ones. In such a scenario he thought that if he could provide quality treatment at low rates, it will help a lot of people. 

When he had started as a Homoeopathic doctor, he was discouraged by a lot of people that he would not be able to earn much in his chosen field of study, but for him, it was never about the money and the general rat race in which everybody seemed to be involved in. He also pointed out that with passage of time AYUSH doctors have started gaining a lot of acceptance and now are much better places when he had started his career, more than 10 years back. There is huge demand in this sector and anyone interested to go into this sector will find a job easily.

For the past one and a half years, Dr. Sarkar has also started his own NGO, whose main aim is to spread health awareness. During the present Covid 19 pandemic he and his juniors have organised several free health camps which was a huge success.

On being asked about his experience of studying in Sarada Shishu Tirtha, he said that he wished he could spend more time in his childhood school, but as it was only till class IV, he had to leave it too early. One of the most important takeaways from his school was the practice of Yoga and meditation that they were taught as young children. It is a habit that he still practiced and encourages his patients to do the same. He feels that it is one of the best ways to keep healthy both mentally and physically. 

Lastly as a parting message to all Vidya Bharati students, he said that our culture, religious texts and Ayurveda is a treasure trove of knowledge that shows the path towards leading a healthy, stress free and fulfilling life. He urged all students to delve deeper into this available knowledge which will steer them in the correct life path.

Vidya Bharati Purv Chatra Parishad thanks Dr. Sarkar for taking out time from his busy schedule to share his inspirational thoughts with the community.

If you are a Vidya Bharati alumni and would like to share your story, experiences and achievements as well, please email us your contact details at info@vidyabharatialumni.org and we will get in touch with you.