Akshay believes that communication and managerial skills are the most important skills in life, not just for professional life but also for personal life. He has been working at the post of SMO for the last six years.

Akshay Vyas is a surveillance medical officer at the WHO NPSP in Udaipur.

Akshay was born in Rishabhdev village. He completed primary schooling in the village itself. For his higher secondary education, he went to Jaipur and completed his twelfth year at Keshav Vidyapeeth.

Akshay shares that he belongs to a family of doctors, and it was the primary source of inspiration for him to aim to be a doctor and follow in the footsteps of his family’s legacy. He completed his medical degree from the Kazakh Medical College at Almada University, Russia. Then he worked at Subdarzan Hospital in New Delhi for three years. Afterwards, he became a medical officer in charge of PSC. Eventually, he left the medical job for a public health division job. He joined the WHO NPSP in Badaun district, UP.

Talking about his struggles, Akshay says that when he started his medical degree, he had some struggles, including language and cultural barriers, during his college years. After coming back to India, he appeared for the foreign medical graduate examination in 2006. He also faced challenges after passing the examination, as he was posted as a junior medical officer at Safdarjung Hospital. Later on, he pursued an MHA degree from Symbiosis Pune and a public health degree course from IHIP Delhi.

Sharing his COVID-19 experiences, Akshay says that COVID-19 was a huge learning phase for him and every doctor. First and foremost, it was itself a health and occupational hazard for those working on the frontlines, like medical staff and the police force. The prevention of cases was of the utmost importance during this period, and necessary actions were taken by the health and safety division in the Public Health Department to minimize the cases during the pandemic by spreading awareness among the masses about the virus, providing PPE kits to everyone involved in fieldwork, and maintaining the sanitation of public establishments. There were times when there was a shortage of staff and medical resources like oxygen cylinders and PPE kits; however, the coordination with private hospitals and government hospitals as well as the timely action of logistics support by the state government helped overcome this crisis.

According to Akshay, education is important as it provides one with knowledge of medicine and health, but experience is more important in the public health department as this involves problem-solving and quick decision-making. The COVID-19 pandemic itself was a huge challenge that gave him new experiences. The public health division is responsible for the general health and safety of the masses; hence, the work is very critical. Lack of experience and education can cause many casualties. To prevent such pandemics, he believes that awareness in communities and logistics support are important, as is the mitigation of resources at the right destination.

Akshay’s role models are Anandi, who was the district collector of Udaipur, and OP Bunkar, as he learned a lot from them.

Advising aspirants in his field, Akshay says that one should have practical coordination and communication skills. Team building and confidence in team members, as well as thorough subject knowledge in the field of medicine, are important. However, the most important skill is for a doctor to have managerial skills to effectively lead their team in times of crisis and help save people in need.

If given a time machine, Akshay wants to relive his childhood and college days.

In his spare time, Akshay enjoys watching movies and traveling.