A healing touch

A steady stream of people frequents the Old Children’s Park complex opposite Sadar Thana where Drs Thakela Bhutia and Basant Rai quietly operate a very popular physiotherapy clinic. Billed as a physiotherapy clinic cum rehabilitation centre, Physiocure speaks volumes of the drive of a duo of local lads who chose to push the envelope and test their entrepreneurial skills to create a success story that should inspire the many other educated locals out there.
Thakela, hailing from Darap in West Sikkim, and Basant from Majhitar, Rangpo, started out on a similar career trajectory with a Bachelor in Physiotherapy from Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok. Thakela mentions that just after completing school, a friend’s mother had a stroke that rendered her body half-paralysed. Accompanying them to Kolkata for physiotherapy, her gradual recovery - she was able to sit, stand and walk after physiotherapy - and the healing power of physiotherapy inspired him to become a physiotherapist. Basant, meanwhile, does not remember any specific trigger, but he was always aware that he wanted to work in a field where he could help alleviate suffering in others. At that time, physiotherapy was a novel practice with very little general awareness. Basant shares that the idea of a non-invasive procedure without any medication, of healing with just the body’s own mechanism and strength, piqued his interest in physiotherapy.
Both the doctors accumulated a considerable wealth of practical experience in established hospitals outside of the state before they launched their clinic here. Thakela did his internship in Hindu Rao Hospital in Delhi, followed by a stint in Moolchand Hospital, Delhi and Paramount Hospital, Siliguri. Meanwhile, Basant interned in Kasturba Medical College, Udupi, Karnataka and then worked voluntarily at STNM Hospital. It was during this phase that both doctors saw firsthand the importance of physical therapy treatment for a multitude of ailments and decided, independently, to pursue higher studies in physiotherapy. They wound up as roommates during their Masters in Physiotherapy from HNB Garhwal Central University, Dehradun, that they completed in 2011. It was there that Thakela and Basant developed a firm friendship that would be the crucial foundation stone of their professional partnership later. In June 2012, they decided to combine their complementary specialisations, neurology and orthopaedic musculoskeletal respectively, to collaborate in opening a physiotherapy clinic in Gangtok.
Their functional clinic is today a bustling establishment that continues to thrive largely due to positive word-of-mouth recommendations from grateful patients of all walks of life. The trained manual therapist duo treat patients with neurological cases like stroke, spinal injuries, back pain, disc prolapse, spondylosis, mechanical back and neck pain, cerebral palsy, facial palsy, Bell’s palsy and orthopaedic conditions like osteoarthritis, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, post-fracture rehabilitation, any kind of joint pain, and associated ailments. Modest and unassuming, and doubly solicitous, the doctors have successfully treated many patients who swear by their prowess to heal and guide them in recuperating from their various neurological and orthopaedic ills.
Prodded to talk about a specific case, the doctors recount the story of a 36-year-old male patient suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nerve system. Delhi doctors advised physiotherapy for which the family approached Physiocure. Rendered a quadriplegic, he was unable to move his limbs and was confined to bed. He was very spirited, however, and firmly believed he would recover. The doctors started treating him at home, and he started recovering fast. Within a month, he was able to come to the clinic for therapy, helped first by two people and then just one person. With sustained physiotherapy, he was able to come unassisted, aided by just a walking stick. After 11 months of continued physiotherapy, he was able to return to work and lead a normal lifestyle. The doctors recount this as one of their most stirring successes and are confident that there are many like him that they can help recover and lead meaningful lives again.
Physiocure is a rousing precedent of how two young people found it in their hearts and dreams to become self-sufficient and lend Sikkimese people a definite healing touch on their own turf. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9a.m.to 7p.m. Rates are very nominal, depending on the severity and complexity of the patient’s condition. House calls are also entertained depending on the location.
Contact numbers: Dr Thakela Bhutia- 8768951705; Dr Basant Rai- 9647428228
Email id: physiocure1gtk@hotmail.com