Share review of Mr Indran Balasundaram

Mr Indran Balasundaram 2018-06-01 Person 5 5 0

My admitting to being frightened by the possible cosmetic outcome of patching the hole left after the removal of a lesion on my nostril had seemed, at the outset, best avoided for I was very soon made to understand that the operation was unavoidable and that the outcome would have to be accepted no matter how much my appearance may have been spoilt—I was, after all, 70 years old. So it was then that when I was given an appointment to see a Specialist Registrar I was expecting no more than a cursory examination: the operation, I imagined, could hardly rank as anything more than run-of-the-mill—even if the strength of my premonitions might indicate the contrary. The appearance of Mr Balasundaram, however, soon altered all that. At first I felt guilty at the amount of time he was prepared to spend with me, but his friendly and relaxed manner gradually reassured me and I began to realise that he was actually interested in the procedural aspects of my case—particularly in relation to the cosmetic outcome over which I had felt so anxious. His attention to detail was most apparent in theatre where a willingness to consider changing tack mid-operation made for protracted but fascinating discussions with his team about the best way to proceed: I felt that I was in the hands of people who actually cared about the things that I felt to be important. Perhaps most surprisingly, Mr Balusandaram's kind and considerate behaviour has extended beyond the operation itself: for having asked him for something by the by as a personal favour (something that proved to be, we thought, too complicated to achieve) I was delighted to get what I had asked for a week or two later—along with an apology for the delay. Mr Balasundaram has been all of those things that one would wish for in a NHS doctor—sympathetic, supportive, and encouraging; generous and obliging. Above all, though, he has been likeable: the sort of chap who is easy to get along with.