An Illustrious Background

Dr Gautam Khastgir hails from an illustrious family which enjoys the reputation of producing seven generations of successful doctors and also pioneering women's education. The famous Dr Khastgir Girls' High School in Chittagong of pre-independent India, established over a century back, stands testimony to the family's immense contribution to society.

His ancestor, Satish Ranjan Khastgir, a DSc from Edinburgh, was a noted physicist and held the prestigious post of Khaira Professor at the Calcutta University.

Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir, a famous artist and a disciple of Tagore, was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian art.

Padma Khastgir, another torch-bearer of the family, was the first woman Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.

Although being privileged enough to be born into this elite family, Dr Khastgir faced tremendous hardship in his early life due to the premature death of his father. Even in the face of such adversity, he maintained a brilliant academic career.

A Scholar

Dr Khastgir graduated with honours marks, winning several prizes and gold medals in the MBBS course.

He completed post-graduate training leading to DGO, DNB and MD from the Calcutta University and the National Academy of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

He went to the UK for further training and received both the Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS) as well as Membership from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG).

Subsequently, he was awarded the Fellowship (FRCOG) by the College for his outstanding contribution.

Dr Khastgir is one of the very few Indians to receive the prestigious Research Fellowship from the Charitable Trust, Wellbeing, supported by the late Princess Diana. The pioneering research, conducted at the Imperial College, London, led to twenty four original research publications in peer-review journals and several chapters in different medical books.

He also received the RCOG Travelling Fellowship as well as the USA/UK Exchange Fellowship for further training in Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgery both in the USA and Europe. He was offered an academic post along with British citizenship.

However, after a ten year stint in the UK, he chose to return to India to serve his country.

A Busy Professional, A Dedicated Academic

Since his return from the UK, he worked untiringly to make Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgery popular in Eastern India. He has completely demolished the myth that such surgeries are only for the rich and the celebrities. This was achieved largely by working at charity hospitals and offering such services at a very reasonable cost.

In the past fifteen years he has performed more than 12,000 Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgeries - a feat that has been achieved by very few doctors in the world.

He regularly conducts hands-on training programmes and live-workshops on endoscopic surgeries and assisted conception in his institution as well as in other states and countries. His institution has been selected by the Women’ Health Initiative of the Government of Germany and the United Nations as one of the six training centres in India. He has already trained more than 250 doctors to perform keyhole surgeries and assisted conception procedures to popularise the nationwide practice of these improved modern techniques.

Dr Khastgir has lectured and published widely in the field of Infertility, Hormone Therapy and Endoscopic Surgery, both nationally and internationally. He has also written several books, of which one on Hysterectomy and HRT has been one of the best-sellers in the UK. His other books on Women’s Health (Sustha Nari and Janani) and Pregnancy Planning (O Asbe Bole) are written in regional Indian languages for educating the general public on infertility, pregnancy care and gynaecological illnesses. He has written over 500 articles in vernacular newspapers and magazines, participated in innumerable radio talks and TV shows, organised public awareness programmes to make modern gynaecological care popular and also to wipe away the misconceptions regarding infertility treatment prevailing in India. He has painstakingly collated patients’ opinions and published a book (Jiboner Shera Upohar) to help develop confidence regarding the modern management of women’s health.