A Doctor’s Dream, Passion and Career

A boy originally from a small town in Terengganu, with dreams bigger than his palm and longer than his fingers. As a young passionate painter and musician, this boy found every possible way to showcase his talents. He would always find opportunities to participate in any local art competitions, to display his masterpieces, even to an extent of setting up his very own music studio. This go-getter attitude and spirit didn’t pause there. Passion and interest are cultivated when an individual passes through a life-changing experience or experiences. Everyone has their own stories on how they get to where they are now. It was not any different for Mohanarasan Ratanam, dearly known as Mohan. A small interest in medicine was sparked when his younger brother was diagnosed with Haemophilia. It is a typically inherited genetic disorder that weakens the body’s capability to generate blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding longer after an injury. Being the life product of two dedicated primary school teachers, Mohan truly learnt the true value of education. This together with his interest in medicine has led the ambitious young man to becoming a medical student at International Medical University (IMU) in 2000. For Mohan, there’s no set definition of friendship, as it means several things to different people. To him, it was a blessing in disguise. Everyone was respected equally despite coming from diverse backgrounds. One of the few things he holds close to his heart was when the artistic and the sportsmanship fire in him came to live again. He performed with his band during IMU Night and he represented IMU in an inter-university volleyball tournament. Mohan will always be grateful towards IMU for the wonderful experiences, to grow from adolescence to adulthood and to maturity as an individual. After 5 long years of sleepless nights, extra cups of coffees, late night suppers and of course loads of studying now he can proudly introduce himself as Dr Mohanarasan. Upon successfully completing his studies with IMU in 2005, Mohan ventured into the next phase of his career. Mohan diligently completed his 18 months of housemanship in Kuantan General Hospital. The next possible thought or idea for any houseman would be about their career roadmap as a medical officer eventually into specialisation. He gained early career inspiration during his tenure as a medical officer from the Head of Department of Ophthalmology in the same hospital. This choice led him to one of the most a well-known centres for retinal surgery – Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, Australia. One of the few components that allow Flinders Medical Centre to be renowned was because they combine surgical and medical retina in their training compared to other centres. There is an aphorism ‘Blood and business don’t mix’, pun intended. When it comes to undertaking business with friends or family, blood isn’t always thicker than water. Despite the best of intentions and the highest of hopes, Mohan and his younger brother who is a full-fledged accountant, had an opportunity to open a branch of a gastro company called Vitramed. Despite budget constraints with limited knowledge about business, marketing and technology both brothers persevered through. Mohan had to juggle two roles, one being a doctor and another being a businessman but nothing brought his spirit down. His to go friend would always be the technology, who is always there to help him with communication, analysing data and as an ardent problem solver. These may sound like ambitious undertakings, but Dr Mohan and his brother have the utmost faith in their vision and mission.