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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh Founder, Chairman & Publisher Ilayas Quraishi Chief Operating Officer Ela Dutt Editor Archana Adalja Contributing Editor T. Vishnudatta Jayaraman Advisor Arun Shah Ahmedabad Bureau Chief Peter Ferreira, Deval Parikh, Freelance Photographers Bhailal M. Patel Executive Vice President Chandrakant Koticha-Rajkot, India Executive Director Business Development Jim Gallentine Business Development Manager - U.S. Shahnaz Sheikh Senior Manager Advertising & Marketing Sonia Lalwani Advertising Manager Shailu Desai Advertising New York Muslima Shethwala Syed Sheeraz Mahmood Advertising Chicago Digant Sompura Consultant for Business Development Ahmedabad, India Hervender Singh Circulation Manager Main Office Editorial & Corporate Headquarters 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Tel. (212) 675-7515 Fax. 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Postmaster: Send address change to News India Times, 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Annual Subscription: United States: $28 Disclaimer: Parikh Worldwide Media assumes no liability for claims/ assumptions made in advertisements and advertorials. Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the authors and Parikh Worldwide Media does not officially endorse, and is not responsible or liable for them. Neurosurgeon Dr. Anil Nanda Cautions Against Overconfidence Among Physicians W hile it is natural to feel con- fident and rewarded at the success in treating a patient with a demanding and seri- ous illness, it is important to not become conceited and maintain a humility because there are equal chances of a treatment failing and a physician making a mistake, said Dr. Anil Nanda. Nanda, MD and MPH, has been the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Rutgers, New Jersey, and a member of the RWJ Barnabas Health Medical Group. He was speaking on Punditry and Poignancy in Healthcare at a recent conference. Organized in Puttaparthi, the district headquarters of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, the global conference on Sri Sathya Sai Ideal Healthcare marked the hundredth birth anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Emphasizing Punditry as expertise in a particular medical field, and Poignancy as a mix of feelings of humility, sympathy and sadness, Nanda said striking a bal- ance between the two while focusing on patient care is an imperative for medical professionals. Recalling he attended a summer course at the age of fourteen in Brinda- ban with Sathya Sai Baba, Nanda ac- knowledged his gratitude to the Baba for giving his life a direction. Beginning his talk with listing roots of modern medicine in ancient Indian and Greek practices, Nanda referred to the legendary story of Shiva cutting off Ganesh’s head and of Zeus’s headache being cured by opening his skull. Going to hospital was considered having only a fifty percent chance of survival a hundred years ago. Today, that has turned around, he said. Coming to the title of his talk, Nanda said it was easy to become arrogant in the realm of medicine, with physicians boasting about numerous procedures performed by them or publishing many academic papers. “I think physicians and medical professions have this sense of toxic doubtlessness sometimes. I’m right, this is the only way to do it, there’s no other way to do it. An important thing to remember that punditry can be danger- ous,” Nanda said. Nanda stressed the need for humility in the midst of confidence. Punditry in medicine often arises from overconfi- dence and hasty generalization, lead- ing to a toxic form of doubtlessness, he said. It is crucial that we remain aware of how dangerous this can be, he said, and added, “Punditry works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn’t and I think we have to look at our own skill set.” Pointing out historical incidents of medical punditry, Nanda listed cus- toms during the Roman period, the Middle Ages, and the 19th century, and of treatments like lobotomy surgeries for women, and treatments for GeorgeWash- ington and King Charles as examples of punditry. These historical events were evidence of not all medical practices be- ing effective and of punditry gone wrong, he said. Quoting Osler’s famous statement that humanity’s three great enemies are fever, famine, and war, Nanda said parallels in literature, such as Apollo’s arrows raining down on the Greeks in the Iliad resonate with the challenges faced in medicine today. Giving an example of punditry, Nanda reminded the audience of the lockdowns during the Covid-19 which were enforced to save lives but which also created economic and educational setbacks. It is time to consider if lockdowns were justi- fied, or if that decision was erroneous, he said. If punditry of lockdowns was ques- tionable, there were examples of positive punditry such as use of rose water dis- covered by Andrew Pare, Joseph Lister’s advocacy for carbolic acid, Florence Nightingale’s data visualization tech- niques like pie charts, advances made by Marie Curie and Harvey Cushing, Nanda said, adding even once common medical procedures get rejected with time. A sense of accomplishment after performing a complicated procedure successfully is natural, Nanda said. “As I reflect on my own experiences, such as successfully operating on a large skull base meningioma, I find a sense of ac- complishment. Yet, I am reminded of the importance of humility,” Nanda said. However, medical field requires continuous learning and self-evaluation, Nanda said. Punditry can have its merits alongside its pitfalls, and confidence and humility both are essential for medical professionals, he said. Striking a balance between patient safety and informed medical practices is of utmost impor- tance, he stated. Medical professionals often come face to face with situations that test resolve and understanding of patient care. Il- lustrating this with an example of his performing a procedure for spinal cord tumor, Nanda said he removed the tumor after a long and strenuous operation, but the patient was not able to move legs. “For those of us in medicine—whether as nurses or physicians—such complica- tions are often accompanied by sleepless nights spent questioning our choices and capabilities,” he said. The particular case turned out positive after a few days when the patient began to walk, he added. But not every case ends well. Nanda here spoke of a case involving patients treated for trigeminal neuralgia receiv- ing tenfold dose of radiation, resulting in devastating consequences. “Such events remind us of the profound responsibility we bear as healthcare providers,” he said. Looking at such cases, it is highly desirable and necessary to have open communication in the operating room, Nanda said. Hierarchies should not prevent anyone—nurses and surgeons alike—from voicing concerns that could avert critical mistakes, Nanda said. “If you think something wrong is happen- ing, you have to speak out because you may prevent a fatal mistake. And therein lies the balance between poignancy and punditry,” Nanda said. He then spoke about his book on implications of medical errors and the moral imperatives faced by physicians. Nanda went on to reemphasize the importance of learning. We must ask ourselves how we can improve processes and prevent mistakes, rather than placing blame on those involved, he said. “I think our moral dilemma as physi- cians is how we address mistakes, how we look back at the root cause analysis and say what could we have done differ- ently? Do not accuse berate and criticize. Instead say how could we do this differ- ently? How can we make a difference?” Nanda said. Nanda said a balance can be struck between the poignancy that arises from human error and the punditry that often accompanies public discourse on medi- cal failures. “Ultimately, it is our duty to continually question ourselves: How can we do things differently?What steps can we take to make a positive impact on our patients?” Nanda stated. He said such reflections were guiding lights to finding purpose and a path forward in health- care. By Archana Adalja Special Report News India Times (September 6, 2025 - September 12, 2025) September 12, 2025 3 PHOTO:videograb fromYouTube “Punditry and Poignancy in Healthcare, a talk by Dr. Anil Nanda at the Global Conference on Sri Sathya Sai Ideal Healthcare held on June 28-29, 2025 in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.