In this special “East Meets West” follow-up, I sit down with an inspiring pediatrician from India to explore how different cultures approach vaccines, public health, and the doctor-patient relationship.

We talk about:

• Vaccine acceptance in India vs. the U.S.
• How trust and education impact vaccine decisions
• What India’s polio success story can teach us
• The power of gratitude and connection in medicine
• Why kindness matters just as much as science

This is more than a conversation about medicine — it’s a shared love letter to the families we care for, and a reminder that compassion, respect, and a simple “thank you” can cross any border.

Whether you’re a parent, pediatrician, or just curious about how different systems work, this episode will leave you with hope and a deeper appreciation for the healing power of human connection.

Want more? Enjoy the full episode at ⁠PedsDocTalk.com⁠

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00;00;00;08 – 00;00;29;22

Dr. Mona

Hey, hey, it’s Doctor Mona and welcome to the follow up. Your Monday parenting pick me Up where I serve up bite sized brilliance from past episodes in less time than it takes for your toddler to put on socks, both feet wrong. Today’s clip is one of those. Wow, this was such a cool moment kind of chats. I got to connect with doctor Imran Patel, a fellow pediatrician from India who also happens to have over 8.5 million, yes, million followers online.

 

00;00;30;00 – 00;00;50;17

Dr. Mona

And we delve into a topic I know so many of us in the United States are familiar with vaccine hesitancy, but here’s the twist it looks kind of different across the globe. We asked, is anti-vaccine sentiment truly universal, or is it uniquely American or westernized health care? Doctor Patel shares how in India, the hesitation often isn’t about refusing vaccines.

 

00;00;50;19 – 00;01;12;08

Dr. Mona

It’s about fear, misunderstanding, access and education. And despite limited resources, there’s a massive effort to reach families and protect children, often with deep trust in doctors and a whole lot of love. This conversation reminded me that the challenges may look different, but the heart of pediatrics building connection, and trust is the same no matter where you are in the world.

 

00;01;12;10 – 00;01;17;07

Dr. Mona

Let’s jump in.

 

00;01;17;09 – 00;01;31;00

Dr. Mona

In the United States, we struggle a lot with vaccine hesitancy or what we call here anti-vaccine sentiment, where people deny vaccinations even though it’s available to them. I’m curious, do you see that in India as well?

 

00;01;31;02 – 00;01;55;00

Dr. Imran Patel

The thing is, India is a very big country. Yeah, as you say, 1.1. 4 billion people. Right. So on the country side, still patients are not aware or educated about the vaccination and vaccine preventable diseases, but still are or where this thing of which a lot of nowadays they have been going to the individual houses and extend them out of the vaccination, they are giving them at free of cost.

 

00;01;55;02 – 00;02;13;10

Dr. Imran Patel

So but they don’t do not hesitate, but they don’t have a there is a lack of knowledge and what they feel like a simple vaccine I would say DPT. So if a component of purposes we are using it, it has a side effect like fever and pain at the injection site. So they are scared of that. There’s a cure.

 

00;02;13;10 – 00;02;37;20

Dr. Imran Patel

Oh my goodness. After after giving vaccination, my child bicycle for a two days and how I’m gonna, you know, handle it. So they have that kind of a fear I would say. And lack of education. It’s a thing. But I would not say that, in my entire country, in our entire country. Yeah, people are giving vaccinations, and, it’s not an anti-vaccine thing over here.

 

00;02;37;23 – 00;03;01;07

Dr. Imran Patel

We do on a very regular basis. And that is the reason we have achieved the polio free country. We have done that because of vaccination. Still in Asia, in a country like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, we see polio cases. But in India we don’t have a single case of polio. The only reason is vaccination. So vaccination is a must for everyone.

 

00;03;01;10 – 00;03;20;07

Dr. Imran Patel

And, that is what I try to say to the people. You won’t have to worry for a short period of time. Yeah, right. You don’t have to be like, you know, feel, but you have to see the, longer thing, like, you can prevent your child from a bigger complications, the little complications of the vaccine preventable disease.

 

00;03;20;10 – 00;03;38;09

Dr. Imran Patel

That is what I convey my message to my videos. Yeah. And vaccine can, be like, you know, enjoyable thing. Also, I can sing for them. I can dance for them. Yeah. Very cool thing to do. So that is what I want to do to spread this kind of message to entire world.

 

00;03;38;11 – 00;03;52;23

Dr. Mona

Well, I love hearing that. You know, I love hearing that. Obviously, not only the government is trying to do their part to educate and also remove that fear, but it sounds as if the sentiment that you’re saying is that people just want to be educated more, but that there isn’t that sentiment of, well, I’m not going to do it at all.

 

00;03;52;23 – 00;03;55;28

Dr. Mona

I just want to learn more before I actually do it for my child.

 

00;03;56;01 – 00;04;23;22

Dr. Imran Patel

Yeah, yeah, that is that is true. But it does happen like that in India. Yeah. Still, the people of India, they believe the doctors. And when you say when we explain them that, nowadays, people are aware of that and they are, giving vaccination to that chicken without hesitation because of so many vaccination has been covered under the government program, and even the private hospitals are motivating them.

 

00;04;23;22 – 00;04;38;16

Dr. Imran Patel

The private doctors also go get them shot. So they are doing that. And I’m glad that people of India now has taken this seriously, and that they have understood that many diseases can be only prevented by giving vaccine to the people.

 

00;04;38;18 – 00;04;52;01

Dr. Mona

Like I also recommend the normal vaccine schedule to all of my patients. Given the things that I’ve seen, and I’m sure you agree that you’ve seen vaccine preventable illnesses and what they can do. So you support vaccines because you want to prevent that?

 

00;04;52;04 – 00;05;17;01

Dr. Imran Patel

Yes, yes, and we have been seeing patients a lot more than what you, might be seeing in USA. Yeah, especially for those diseases like vaccine preventable diseases. We have seen that we have seen the complication of such diseases and at that time, when a patient comes in a complication or a patient is having that disease and we have to get him admitted in ICU at that time, I feel so sad.

 

00;05;17;01 – 00;05;35;22

Dr. Imran Patel

I feel so sad when I ask the relatives, why didn’t you give the vaccine? This is a well, we were scared and now now nothing. Now we do have. But yeah, the thing is. You sure have given that a vaccine shot. Because the thing is, we have seen the people who have received the vaccines. They are immune to those diseases.

 

00;05;35;24 – 00;06;00;06

Dr. Imran Patel

Yeah, so do not catch that infection quite often and they can be prevented from such, complications. Right. So it’s a sad thing, but, yes. Like people like you, Doctor Monahan, like us, you have a responsibility to spread a good and positive message in our community and the international community. I would say an entire globally that use vaccinate your children.

 

00;06;00;08 – 00;06;05;25

Dr. Imran Patel

It is good for the children, and you can prevent them from, deadly diseases.

 

00;06;05;27 – 00;06;18;16

Dr. Mona

Oh, absolutely. I love I love that we share that from across the world. Would you say that that where you practice there is this sort of respect for what you say? You mentioned it when we talked about the vaccines. That’s nice. We don’t have that much here.

 

00;06;18;18 – 00;06;41;17

Dr. Imran Patel

The thing is, it’s not the always thing, but yeah, in India, people doctors are here. It was a lot. But nowadays our this they don’t do that. But even they know that we are paying you. You get the service. But the thing is, when you spread it out, I don’t think like I’m a doctor. I’m a big topic, you know, post now, I love the children.

 

00;06;41;17 – 00;07;01;09

Dr. Imran Patel

I show kindness to the people. They give it back to me. So if they are more resolved, they are irritable or they are not in a mood to talk to me, I sing a song about their I am how they look at me. They have to be happy, you know that. So. So that is what the I pass away energy to them.

 

00;07;01;11 – 00;07;22;12

Dr. Imran Patel

So I no doubt that is not the time it in India also that we do expect from the patient that they follow their hands and they say you are a God. No, it’s fair. We have to treat them with kindness to them, to treat them with honesty and a pure intention. And we are passionate about love and give them what they are going to give it back.

 

00;07;22;12 – 00;07;27;26

Dr. Imran Patel

I’m sure that I’m getting this, from all over the world and especially in my country.

 

00;07;27;28 – 00;07;48;05

Dr. Mona

Yes, it’s true. I mean, there is a mutual respect, kind of like what we’re talking about with children, right? I mean, every relationship there has to be respect and so, I love that. And I think, you know, in America, it just feels as if there has been a loss of not so much a loss of respect, but because of the way our system set up, like patients don’t get a lot of time with their pediatrician or with their doctor.

 

00;07;48;05 – 00;08;07;28

Dr. Mona

So even if a doctor wants to spend that time, there’s a lot of like, well, you know, you have to see so many patients and you gotta move and like, it sometimes feels like there’s not enough of that love and ability to have that time, even if we want it, which is such a struggle, because it’s not like we need a red carpet or need like someone to bow down, like you said.

 

00;08;07;28 – 00;08;24;08

Dr. Mona

But we want the ability to connect and so that we can give that respect to the family, they can show that love back. And I think that’s a beautiful message for anyone listening who’s a clinician that is practicing that, you know, it’s all about that ability to take the time that you do have to really connect with how you can with that family.

 

00;08;24;08 – 00;08;25;19

Dr. Mona

And I love that message.

 

00;08;25;22 – 00;08;44;00

Dr. Imran Patel

So this is what I absolutely agree with you. The thing is everybody wants money, right? It is not the doctor who wants money in every field, even chartered accountant or banker or whatever. It is money. But ultimately, what doctor does, they are emotionally attached with the patient. They are dealing with their lives. So even though we are human beings, we have emotions.

 

00;08;44;07 – 00;09;09;15

Dr. Imran Patel

So what we need, we just need. Thank you. So thank you Matt. Thank you doctor. How can you pass. So that is what we need. That motivates us to come daily and work on our patients. But I am fortunate enough that I have what sort of flow from my patients that, unfortunately, in some cases where we have not been able to save the child’s life or in a, in a critical state, still, you won’t believe it.

 

00;09;09;15 – 00;09;36;26

Dr. Imran Patel

Doctor Mona, people have told me. Thank you. So you have done your best. We have seen that there have been you, that we have seen that your hard work. You have given everything for our children. It’s unlock or it’s a destiny. But still you have done your best. That is what makes me do. The thing is, I would have shifted to any other country to earn a good amount of money, but still, still, I’m here in India because I know that kind of respect.

 

00;09;36;26 – 00;10;00;07

Dr. Imran Patel

Other than money. That is what my, I am happy when patient is, smiling at me. And when they say thank you. So, and, God bless you. They, you know, they tell me that. And I love that. And that keeps motivating me. And at that moment, I feel like, all right, that all kind of, like, I keep aside, and I love my job.

 

00;10;00;09 – 00;10;23;27

Dr. Mona

And it radiates talking to you. This whole conversation, it radiates. I feel the same way. I just think, again, it’s that gratitude of simple. Thank you. I’ve been there too, with the thank you for when things are going really hard for a family, but also the thank you when you fix something. Like all of that feels so rewarding, you know, like, hey, I really appreciate you being here and walking me through this.

 

00;10;24;00 – 00;10;45;14

Dr. Mona

And that’s your follow up. Just a small dose of the real relatable and eye opening conversations we love to have here. If you smiled, nodded, or had an moment, go ahead and download, follow and share this episode with a friend. Let’s grow this village together for more everyday parenting wins and real talk. Hang out with us on Instagram at the PedsDocTalk podcast.

 

00;10;45;16 – 00;11;00;29

Dr. Mona

Want more? Dive into the full episode and more at PedsDocTalk.com. Because parenting is better with support. And remember, consistency is key. Humor is medicine and follow ups are everything. I’m Doctor Mona. See you next time for your next dose.