[00:00:00 – 00:00:09] Nitin Bajaj

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj. And joining me today is Dr. Nitin Shah. Dr. Shah, welcome on the show.

[00:00:09 – 00:00:12] Nitin Shah

Thank you. Nice to meet you again, Nitin.

[00:00:13 – 00:00:17] Nitin Bajaj

Great to have you here. So let’s start with the big question. Who is Nitin?

[00:00:17 – 00:01:02] Nitin Shah

Good question. And this is Nitin Shah and not Nitin Bajaj. Nitin Shah is an anesthesiologist for 48 years and also an intensivist for over 3 decades. And I enjoy teaching and just been doing that for all my life, been an academician. And personal level, I like to call it myself a humanist. I just love helping people and started going back to my residency days in Baroda, India and haven’t stopped.

[00:01:03 – 00:01:47] Nitin Bajaj

And you’ve been a beacon in the community. You’ve helped just not our community, but people at large, humanity at large, not just in the US and India, but worldwide. And would love to hear more about your contributions to the community. I know you’re a very humble person, but I would love for you to share a little bit that you’ve been able to accomplish. So tell us what I typically ask people what do they do for a living. But in your case, I would love to ask you what gets you up in the morning all energized, motivated, and give us a glimpse into your day. I’ll give you a broad version. Yeah. Or

[00:01:48 – 00:03:44] Nitin Shah

the one event that has influenced me significantly and that was going back to 1977 when I was a resident in anesthesiology in Vadodara, India. And I came across a 22 year old young engineering student with a rare disease for health care professionals, I will say, is Guillain-Barré syndrome. And such patients did not live in our hospital before him. None. I thought out of the box. Worked on him for 7 days and 4 hours and at the end of that he was better. And ultimately he left the hospital. And lived. And that feeling of saving your life and I happen to be 25 years of age at that time, has never gone away. And that’s one thing that has stuck to me, and I believe that true happiness comes from serving an unknown. Someone whom you don’t know, someone from whom you don’t expect anything in return. And that was the beginning of my journey in this. My goal is to help as many people around the world as possible. And mentoring youth is another important aspect. And I learn, started, and doing in my academic career. And for last few years, I’ve started adding that into my humanitarian journey as well. Thank you.

[00:03:45 – 00:04:38] Nitin Bajaj

That’s phenomenal. And I think getting that exposure, getting that feeling that you have this tremendous ability to change and save lives at the tender age of 25, I think sets a very different context. And I believe, as you said, it has played an instrumental role and you’ve had that vision of being a community evangelist from very early in life. Give us a sense of the impact you and your team have been able to create. I know you’ve touched many lives, 1,000 if not millions of lives around the world, and you still travel pretty actively around the globe helping people all over the world. Just give us a sense of the type of activities and work you’re involved with.

[00:04:39 – 00:05:50] Nitin Shah

Anything that is selflessly to be given. And with that motto, I came to Southern California in 1991 going back to 24 plus 10, 34 years, I have been involved in doing missions in 27 countries. Out of which I’ve traveled to 18 of them to do humanitarian missions. Lot of them certainly are in the health care field. In terms of impact, as you said, it’s in 1,000. And before I give you this year’s number, I wanna tell the other side in terms of how many volunteers we’ve been able to train, work with, give them the feeling of humanity also is 1,000 per year.

[00:05:50 – 00:05:50] Nitin Bajaj

Yes.

[00:05:51 – 00:06:07] Nitin Shah

Just in the Anaheim Health Fair, which is the biggest one we do, we get 250 volunteers as most of them are youth year after year. So this year was the 18th annual health fair.

[00:06:07 – 00:06:07] Nitin Bajaj

Wow.

[00:06:07 – 00:07:54] Nitin Shah

It’s going back. If I tell you this year’s impact alone, I pledge that I’m going to retire this year, and thanks to my son, he has been pushing me for over 3 years now. Dad, go and do more. Stop working. Finally, listen. And in 11 countries so far, just one thing that we do, which is the largest this year, we have touched 156,150 children and staff. Wow. I think about 2024 only. Along with all other medical missions that we have been doing in several countries, surgeries, cataracts, hernias, all those things do go on. But this was something that I pledged to myself, and we’ve been able to. And we do the vision screening and also give eyeglasses to those who need it. And it’s the reward that you get cannot be described. You have to be there. You have to be part of it. We have traveled with us, young as well as my age group. We want to see. We want to sow, and it’s mind boggling. Because when you go in a remote place of Ghana or Nigeria or Jamaica and see a child who did not know that he needed eyeglasses, he can see better with eyeglasses. It doesn’t take a whole lot, but it changes someone’s life forever.

[00:07:55 – 00:08:28] Nitin Bajaj

That is so amazing. And 156,000 plus people just in 1 year. And I can’t even begin to fathom the close to 2,000 volunteers that you’ve helped expose this other part of the world to over the last 18 years. The impact they have created in turn because of what you’ve been able to share with them. So as I had expected, it’s millions of people around the world that you’ve touched in a positive way. So kudos and thank you for your service. Really appreciate that.

[00:08:29 – 00:08:33] Nitin Shah

Thank you. I’m doing it to help myself.

[00:08:35 – 00:09:15] Nitin Bajaj

Sure. You know, that’s I think one thing I’ve learned from you and many others in our community that I consider mentors, Manubhai being one of them, that in giving is when we get the most. Yes. It’s a selfish journey, but we could do many other selfish things. But by giving, we truly enjoy the fruits of true happiness and joy. So thank you again. Now I would love to hear from you in helping these people that don’t have much access, to many of these faculties around. What is the one big challenge you face?

[00:09:16 – 00:10:21] Nitin Shah

For me, personally, I already told little, but I will repeat here. Time was the biggest challenge. Because you know how the rat race of work goes. 40 hours, 50 hours, 60 hours. And I I’m passionate about what I do. It doesn’t matter where. Yes. I did get paid for the things that I did, but that doesn’t that didn’t change how I took that. I still go and give lectures once a week, by the way, every time I’m in LA. Yep. And that’s obviously totally voluntary. So time is the biggest challenge, and I’ve answered that question this year by retiring. Other than that, I think, no, we can find solutions to most of the things, of course. Never 100%. I don’t believe perfection exists, but once we strive to go to as close as possible, which I try to do in whatever I’m doing. So besides time, no other challenge. And I think I have time little bit more than be

[00:10:22 – 00:10:35] Nitin Bajaj

That is exciting for all of us. We get to see you more in the community. Now I’m curious to hear what is the one most exciting opportunity that’s ahead of you?

[00:10:36 – 00:13:49] Nitin Shah

Am I allowed to give to? Sure. Free surgeries. Mhmm. Free surgery center is under construction. Should be ready in few months. I personally believe this is the first one in the US, And this is happening with Lestonnac Free Clinic that I’ve been working at since 2011. We needed a place to send our patients who couldn’t afford that we see in the free community health press, which I’ve been doing 4 to 8 a year for many years. And I Foundation than that free clinic, Mr. Ed Gerber. And I said, oh, great. I’m gonna send our patients who need help. Oh, he says, but can you do something in return for me? I said, sure. As long as it’s free. Oh, yeah. He says, I have over a 1000 patients waiting for outpatient based simple procedures. We are not talking about complex surgeries, obviously. And I said, sure. So I was fortunate. Put a team together in 2012, one weekend Nitin one hospital, Western United Medical Center, and we did 27 patients. Totally, obviously, free. We had 22 providers who volunteered their time. Unfortunately, they decided not to support. So Hunt continues. And Dr. Bharat Patel, urologist, whom I’m sure you know, came to me in 2015. And literally, he said, you know what, Nitinbhai? I’ve made enough money. I want to do what you do. Show me the way. Great. So I take it. We went out to his Beverly Surgery Center and start doing there in December 2015 and didn’t stop until, and Manu Bhai from Sarva Mangal Family Trust also started helping from 2018. Unfortunately, he sold the service, Beverly Surgery Center. We came to a screeching halt. Alright. What are we going to do? But Ed certainly was thinking all along, and he says, I’m going to give up some space which we have rented for construction. And I said, as long as we can construct 2 full fledged walls, we’re in, that’s expected to finish in December. So that’s 1. 2nd, going back to when I told my son I’m gonna screen 100,000 children for vision and eyeglasses. November of last year. And he says, yeah, dad. I know you will do that. How about how can you do 10 x in 2025? This is before it even happened, 100,000. Of course, I’ve been doing this for a few years. So it’s not, but the numbers were nowhere near. So I said, okay. So that’s my biggest challenge that, we are working on right now. How can we screen 1,000,000 children in the world and give them eyeglasses to those who need it?

[00:13:50 – 00:14:22] Nitin Bajaj

That is so fascinating. 1, to see the community coming together to help each other out so we can do more because a lot has to be done. And 2, to see the next generation challenging and helping us do more. It’s such a beautiful thing that is coming along here. So I’m super excited to see when this new center comes up and would love to come see, visit, and help out in every possible way, spread the word, and get more people in the community to benefit from this service.

[00:14:23 – 00:14:35] Nitin Shah

Yep. This is great. My dream since my visit to trust Bidra Hospital, first time in 1999. And I said, someday, we’ll do that in America.

[00:14:37 – 00:14:40] Nitin Bajaj

And it’s happening. Super exciting.

[00:14:41 – 00:14:43] Nitin Shah

It is. Yes. As we

[00:14:43 – 00:15:06] Nitin Bajaj

look into the future, I would love to pause and reflect and ask you to share 2 moments in your career and life where one things did not work out as you had expected. There was failure lessons and another one where things exceeded your own expectations and became a success beyond your Foundation?

[00:15:06 – 00:18:08] Nitin Shah

May I answer the second one first? Sure. I already give you two. I never imagined, not only me, The hospital, the physicians, senior physicians who were my grandfather’s age at that time. And I can tell you so many details which I want, but I’m wasting my time. I’m doing it wrong. He’s not going to survive. I put not only them, even myself wrong, in the sense that I could pull him through. That 22 year old, his name is Mr. Kulbhushan Gupta. I did connect with him 10 years later, but not anymore. And he lived. And not only that, that motivated me at that time so much that I got a ventilator donated to that hospital. That was the 1st ever ventilator in their hospital, and that’s not a small hospital. At that time, it was 800 where hospital. Wow. But it’s a government hospital, the situation. I’m talking about 70 late seventies. So that’s 1. Another one of failure, it’s I’ll say exactly as I as it went and I felt. I never wanted to be a doctor. I’m not kidding. I wanted to be a chemical engineer, do MBA, do business, and do charity. All these things were in my ideology. And thanks to my maternal grandfather, I spent 4 years of my high school with him. I saw him doing charity work and missions and so that was where I got it. And then I go to medical college. Of course, I remain an above average medical student but how did I get into medical school? At that time, I did not have courage to tell my parents and my family of my personal wish. I didn’t want to be in health care or be a physician. What happened is, in Baroda at that time, out of 1200 1st year college students, 1st 45 gets direct admission into medical school. And those used to be very difficult. It’s difficult even today. I happened to be the 43rd. And in the long circle of our family, there was no physician. I couldn’t say no by default. And I’m certainly happy that I did become. So had that failure been a success, I don’t know. But jokingly, I still say, if you give me my 50 years back, I wouldn’t want to be a doctor.

[00:18:11 – 00:18:37] Nitin Bajaj

I think everything works out for the better. You did end up serving, and I wouldn’t call it charity. You’ve done way more than that. You’ve saved lives. You have transformed lives in the millions, and we are glad that things worked out the way they did. And here we are looking at you doing 10 x more in the next 12 months. So

[00:18:38 – 00:18:49] Nitin Shah

Looking for it. That’s why Steve Jobs said you can only connect the dots looking backwards. So true. Yeah. Now

[00:18:49 – 00:19:06] Nitin Bajaj

I would love to learn. Now, I would love to learn what you do for fun to de stress, to just tone it down a little bit? I know you have a crazy travel schedule. And you said, to be nice, I think you said 40, 60 hours a week, which I know is an understatement of the year.

[00:19:07 – 00:20:02] Nitin Shah

Well, that was the obvious year of work I’ve taken. Yes. Otherwise, this is my life. Day night thinking. That’s all I do about connecting the dots and whatever else. But yeah. But to answer your question, I do like some Indian shows Nitin the movies. I do get a chance, and we typically see which one. My wife, by the way, prompted from behind, say nothing. When you’re work, whatever that is, is fun. You don’t need anything else. True. But I do like to watch movies and watch Indian Idol and Kaun Banega Crorepati, and I still love cricket. Believe it or not, I watched the test in Australia between Australia and India for quite some time every day. So that’s my distress. But I won’t tell you that I was working while watching, but that’s okay.

[00:20:03 – 00:20:04] Nitin Bajaj

Nobody needs to know

[00:20:04 – 00:20:05] Nitin Shah

that. Correct.

[00:20:08 – 00:20:13] Nitin Bajaj

Well, any book or a podcast that, you would like to recommend or share?

[00:20:14 – 00:21:11] Nitin Shah

Yes. I do have one book by Ilchi Lee. Mhmm. And its title is I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years. And it was coincident that I got hold of the book, but I did find time to read that book from page 1 to the end. And, of course, he also says that I don’t know when will my time be, but this is what I would want to do and so on. Same way, incidentally, my life policies are such that I don’t have to pay any premium till I turn a 120. So that was in my mind, and I see this book. Hey. Look. Why not? So I have sent in my request upstairs, whatever happens, but 120 years. But that’s the book I I certainly enjoyed.

[00:21:12 – 00:21:16] Nitin Bajaj

And we’re hoping the request comes back with 2 weeks of what you asked for.

[00:21:17 – 00:21:44] Nitin Shah

I I have a simple answer for that. Actually, I said some of these things to one young guy in Albania. 3 years ago. And he says, you’re planning this and that, and what if something happens to this was my answer. That’s not my problem. That’s his problem. If he stops me, that’s his wish. I can’t help it, but we should not fail to plan. Our plans may fail.

[00:21:45 – 00:21:52] Nitin Bajaj

So very well put. And on that note, I would love to have you share some one line life lessons with us.

[00:21:53 – 00:23:14] Nitin Shah

I’m gonna give you 7. Sure. And you can pick whatever you want. Have a buyer’s store’s accent, which is like, just do it, if you are convinced. 2nd is my most favorite thing. True happiness comes from serving the unknown. 3rd, leave things better than you found them. 4th, inspire youth who are the future. 5th, lead by example. That’s very dear to me. I rarely ask somebody to do something that I’m not willing to do myself, but there are things that I cannot do that’s different. I also love Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, so you can ultimately delete it if you like, but my life is my message. And finally, somebody has said this about humanity that I love. It says, when what you think, what you say, and what you do are aligned, that’s humanity.

[00:23:15 – 00:23:45] Nitin Bajaj

Love those. Dr. Shah, thank you so much for sharing your journey and story and your life lessons with us. Again, really deeply appreciate all the work you do for all of us and wish you continued success and really looking forward to you winning the challenge next year to reaching more than a 1000000 lives and happy to be an insignificant part of your journey and helping spread the message. So thank you again.

[00:23:45 – 00:23:50] Nitin Shah

Thank you. Thank you for your podcast and time. Appreciate it.