KATHMANDU: Dr. Saraswati Padhay, in her late seventies, is still active as a doctor and a professor at the Sinamangal-based Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) hospital. What is unique about her is the fact that she served the royal family rendering delivery services for late queen Aishwarya.

Dr. Padhay has a perfect granny look with a wrinkled face and grey hair ever lit with smiles. However, her enthusiasm at work beats young doctors. She is still a dedicated doctor.

“I can tell for sure that the medical service to rural people was much effective and easy during those days. Now, it’s beyond the reach of many people since they have to travel to the city. Meanwhile, the treatment cost is high now,” she says.

Upon completion of her school, she studied science at Tri Chandra College in Kathmandu. She left for India in 1959 to pursue studies on Bachelors of Medicine, Bachelors of Surgery (MBBS).

After earning the MBBS degree in three years, she returned to Nepal and started practicing. During her service, she traveled across the country working at various hospitals where she served the rural populace by attending regular health camps organized by the government in the villages.

“The rural populace had easy access to health in the past because the government organized regular health camps in villages,” she recalls.

Such health camps also provided surgery depending on the need of a patient. Meanwhile, the government took care of the medicine and the treatment, according to her.

“I can tell for sure that the medical service to rural people was much effective and easy during those days. Now, it’s beyond the reach of many people since they have to travel to the city. Meanwhile, the treatment cost is high now,” she says.

As a Gynecologist, she remembers her service that she rendered while providing delivery services to the second and the third child of late King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya.

“In fact, I could feel a sense of discrimination during the birth of a son and a daughter in the royal family. I remember how the palace enjoyed the moment when Queen Aishwarya gave birth to a son. However, if I do not forget, I did not witness any merriment during the birth of a daughter,” she told Khabarhub.

According to her, she remembers how the medical team was rewarded by the palace during the son’s birth. “We did not know what went wrong when a daughter was born!” she quips.