Abstract:This is an observational study drawing from the author’s own experiences and her peers working in a small town in West Bengal While the small towns and villages suffer from lack of quality healthcare,the cities are overcrowded.Young doctors are often at a loss about their career path and personal life.Earning a living as a qualified professional in a city is getting exceedingly difficult.Physical quality of life for doctors are on a constant down hill when it comes to their own mental and physical health.Lowering the stress of living,livelihood and helping those who need your help most might help Medical professionals find balance in this exceedingly chaotic world .
Keywords
Medical practice setup,quality of life,quality of life for doctors,healthy doctor,wellbeing for doctors,physical quality of life
Adopt a small town and live there?That’s the unexpected life decision that changed my life topsy turvy .It was the moment of truth and I took a long look inside to see where exactly I wanted to go.But before I go forward,I have to go back.Way back.
In the early 2000s when I joined Calcutta Medical College, I knew what I wanted from life.A Medical teaching job in the WBMES(West Bengal Medical Education Service)after getting my post graduation done.Marriage and baby somewhere in between( if so blessed).But I didn’t really think of marriage ,because I wasn’t sure how that would work out with the career I was planning.
Well God has his own plans and luckily for me,marrying my best friend from college was the turning point in my life.He helped me find my inner compass and my daughter was born, the compass pointed in only one direction.
My daughter needed me .My daughter needed both her parents around .This meant my grand plans needed realignment. I didn’t give up. The Medical teaching job though needed giving up.
I loved teaching.I loved seeing the light of comprehension in bright,young faces when something hit their brain just right.But the juggling with on-call night duties broke the proverbial camel’s back.My husband’s transfer to another town ,was the tipping point when I got off the camel !
In all this we continued living as a family in the small town close to the village my husband grew up in.Its well connected by rail and road.It has my in-laws close by and since it’s a small town ,you don’t have long commutes.Luckily we found a CBSE school we could send our daughter to and we could continue to build our private practice .
Life is slow.But you can earn a living living a quiet life.I am not a mall-hopping person.But I miss the swimming pool in my Kolkata housing complex.But my weekend visits to the village home help me in more ways than one.Its a reset button .It’s a chance for forest bathing and we look forward to this eagerly.
That’s not something we could have done in a bigger city.Plus we started reforestation in a few plot of land we bought with friends during COVID and that’s where we play cricket and badminton on weekends.I didn’t get my swimming pool,but I did get a very green mango orchard to sit dreaming in.I will forever be a Kolkata girl at heart,but Malda gave me a chance to discover myself and that’s my home .For now .Because you never know where life takes you.
Conclusion: When you set up your professional practice,do it at a place you can imagine living in and growing old.This is not a one size fit all solution but a way to slow down and do the work you want to do while getting off the hamster wheel.Don’t give up your city practice to suddenly go and live in a village or small town.Test it out first.Its also easier for those who have family and roots there.Its a way of giving back to the soil,family,society who helped you become who you are.
I am participating in Blogchatter A2Z 2025 and also the April Ultimate blog challenge and you can find all the April posts here. This is a S post.
References
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Sheikh, Kabir, et al. “Location and Vocation: Why Some Government Doctors Stay on in Rural Chhattisgarh, India.” International Health, Oxford University Press, 2012, doi:10.1016/j.inhe.2012.03.004.
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Kinchagulova, Miliausha Vainerovna, et al. “Research of the Motivation of Future Doctors to Work in Rural Areas and Small Towns.” Manager Zdravookhranenia, 2024, https://doi.org/10.21045/1811-0185-2024-9-112-120.
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Sharing an AI Review by academia.edu of this article which I found very useful.
Sharing is good Karma!
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It’s inspiring to see how embracing small-town life can lead to such personal growth and fulfillment. The balance between professional aspirations and family well-being is something many of us strive for. “I didn’t get my swimming pool, but I did get a very green mango orchard to sit dreaming in.” – beautifully captures the trade-offs we make in life and emphasizes finding unexpected joys and contentment in places we might not have initially considered.
It’s the good part about taking the off beat path in life.Thank you
well, while I am sure all your dreams are still to be fulfilled, I love the idea of living in a place where there’s not much traffic, greens, chance to grow a mango orchard and live with the birds and the gentler fauna. Life probably isn’t about perfection, but this does sound so beautiful. Best thing: Your family is around you.
I think that is the best part of knowing what works for me.I need family around me ,to feel happy and calm.
That’s such a beautiful perspective Amrita! I am sure that slow living is more fulfilling than the bustling life of Kolkata JOMO over FOMO any day!
Yes that’s what works for me too.