Dr. Vijay K. Panikar

I'd been to a few doctors for this nagging abdominal pain, and everyone had a different theory. Honestly, I was getting frustrated. Dr. Panikar listened to my whole history again, asked some really specific questions I hadn't been asked before, and ordered one more scan. He called me himself with the resultsit was a rare type of hernia that was easy to miss. He explained it in simple terms and the surgery plan made sense. Finally, an answer.

Needed my gallbladder out, and I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. The team at Lilavati made it straightforward. Dr. Panikar walked me through exactly what would happen, no sugar-coating but also no unnecessary drama. The procedure itself was fine; I was home the next day. Recovery was exactly as he said it would be. Sometimes you just want things to be simple and predictable, and that's what I got.

Parking at Lilavati is always a bit of a hunt, I won't lie. But once you're inside, it's a different feel. For my dad's check-up with Dr. Panikar, the front desk people remembered us from last time. The nurse who took his vitals was really kind and chatted with him about his garden, which calmed him right down. It's a busy hospital, but they manage to not make you feel like just another number.

What stuck with me about Dr. Panikar was how he talked to my mother. She's elderly and gets confused. He didn't just talk to me. He sat down, looked right at her, spoke slowly, and checked if she understood. He even drew a little diagram on his notepad for her to keep. You can tell when a doctor sees the person, not just the patient file. That meant the world to us.