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Indian cardiologist, jobless in Romania
Alexandra Mănăilă - Reporter
27 January 2015
When you meet Hanna Mohammad Babar, you have the feeling you've met a "Bollywood" star. He is presentable, speaks English and Romanian fluently and displays a shining smile right away. He is not an actor however, he is a medical doctor of Indian origin who came to Romania 17 years ago and fell helplessly in love with Timişoara. Determined to learn how to heal Romanians' hearts, upon completion of his medical studies Hanna Mohammad Babar decided to stay here to put in practice his studies. However he had to hang up his stethoscope more than one year ago, because he has no job, although Romania faces an acute crisis of physicians.
According to data from the Romanian College of Physicians, about 3,000 doctors enter the system annually but about 3,500 exit the system (through migration, retirement and decease). Only last year 2450 physicians applied to the Romanian College of Physicians for current professional certificates to enable them to work abroad. This number also included 42 cardiologists. While Romanian cardiologists immigrate to the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Italy, foreign physicians educated in Romania stand aside and wait...
Reporter (Rep): Why did you chose to stay in Romania?
Hanna Mohammad Babar (H.M.B): That was simply my destiny. I came to Romania when I was 19, for studies. For financial reasons, of course. In India it would have costed me much more, two or even three times more than in Romania. In addition I had here the opportunity to study in the English department, which was very good for me. My first plan was to complete my medical studies and to return to India (I am from Cashmere, in the north of India, an area of conflict between India and Pakistan), to practice in my country. But destiny had other plans for me. When I graduated I had already fallen in love with Timişoara and I simply no longer wanted to go back home. I wanted to develop here professionally and I was granted a scholarship from the Romanian state for specialization. That's how I started my residency in cardiology, which I successfully completed in 2013. I am a specialised cardiologist, but without a job.
Rep: Why? We are in such a need of physicians...
H.M.B: Because there are no vacancy contests in state hospitals and when there are, Romanian citizens are preferred, which I think is normal. But when the need for physicians is so acute, then why don't they accept foreigners as well, who are actually trained in Romania? My physician diploma is issued by Romanian authorities, and so is my diploma of specialised physician. However we, foreigners, have to look for jobs in private cabinets or otherwise, just like Romanian doctors, have to find a better job abroad. I have been unemployed for one year now, but I get involved in projects for migrants at a multicultural centre in Timişoara, established in 2014.
Rep: Do Indian immigrant physicians succeed in their career? Do you have any success models?
H.M.B: There are many physicians from India who are on top in other countries. One of my fellow citizens came to Timişoara 4 years ago, at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, and performed a successful operation, as a première, together with the Romanian team of doctors. Physicians, regardless of their nationality, should not be considered as coming from India, Pakistan, Congo or Africa, but from a professional point of view. Medicine is a noble and universal profession. I don't introduce myself as Hanna Mohammad Babar from India, but as a cardiologist physician. And any country and any person needs physicians.
Rep: How did patients see you while you worked in hospitals in Timişoara?
H.M.B: I had a big success. Romanian patients welcomed me very fondly and so I regarded them as well, because I had the chance to "practice" on Romanian patients. Sometimes Romanian patients trusted us, foreign physicians, more than they trusted their fellow citizen doctors.
Rep: Do you regret not having professed in India?
H.M.B: I can't say I regret it, but sometimes when I speak to my parents - my mother has high blood pressure and my father suffers from heart diseases, so I think that if I had been home I could have taken care of my parents myself. This is a suffering which will stay for ever. However when I look around and see people of the same age with my parents or those I know since I was 19, I think that when I help here, God sees this and there will be someone to help my parents back home as well. I settled in Romania now, I go home every two years, but it would be very difficult to bring them here. It would be too difficult for them at their age to leave everything behind in India and adapt to the local culture and traditions here.
Rep: Do you believe your future is in Romania or do you plan to look for a job in the west?
H.M.B: I feel I have a duty now for the Romanian people who hosted me, tolerated me and to whom I adapted, so I still have patience. I want to give Romania one more chance. I hope it will reach the European level regarding human rights. I don't want to leave Romania after 17 years, but I have to think of my life. We, Indian physicians, are very demanded and welcomed in the United Kingdom. In Germany as well there are many of my colleagues who studied in Timişoara and now profess top medicine. Similarly in Sweden, the Netherlands.
Rep: You speak Romanian well, although you studied medicine in English. How have you learned our language?
H.M.B: I simply found similar words with my language: nose, sole, room, carrier, halal and I learned Romanian by myself. Discussions with people and the internet helped me a lot and I learned it in 6 months. I still happen to make grammar errors, but people correct me and that's how I learned.
Rep: You know that Indian films were much loved in Romania...
H.M.B: I am aware of this and I held activities on Indian culture in Timişoara, because this helps an openness between the two peoples. I even organised a festival between 15-19 June 2011 at the Youth House in Timişoara; I am a participant or active organiser when it comes to multicultural activities.
Rep: In your capacity of intercultural mediator, how would you advise Romanians regarding Indian immigrants, with respect to prejudices?
H.M.B: Romanians are peaceful, tolerant, they lived through communism and became more liberal, but they should get rid of stereotypes. A Romanian can suffer in the west the same things an Indian immigrant suffers. Romanians actually also suffer from stereotypes. But I believe in change, and people should first make in themselves the change they would like to see in others. So I advise Romanians to continue to understand that we are all humans, regardless of our skin. God created us and destiny leads us!
According to data from the Romanian College of Physicians, about 3,000 doctors enter the system annually but about 3,500 exit the system (through migration, retirement and decease). Only last year 2450 physicians applied to the Romanian College of Physicians for current professional certificates to enable them to work abroad. This number also included 42 cardiologists. While Romanian cardiologists immigrate to the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Italy, foreign physicians educated in Romania stand aside and wait...
Reporter (Rep): Why did you chose to stay in Romania?
Hanna Mohammad Babar (H.M.B): That was simply my destiny. I came to Romania when I was 19, for studies. For financial reasons, of course. In India it would have costed me much more, two or even three times more than in Romania. In addition I had here the opportunity to study in the English department, which was very good for me. My first plan was to complete my medical studies and to return to India (I am from Cashmere, in the north of India, an area of conflict between India and Pakistan), to practice in my country. But destiny had other plans for me. When I graduated I had already fallen in love with Timişoara and I simply no longer wanted to go back home. I wanted to develop here professionally and I was granted a scholarship from the Romanian state for specialization. That's how I started my residency in cardiology, which I successfully completed in 2013. I am a specialised cardiologist, but without a job.
Rep: Why? We are in such a need of physicians...
H.M.B: Because there are no vacancy contests in state hospitals and when there are, Romanian citizens are preferred, which I think is normal. But when the need for physicians is so acute, then why don't they accept foreigners as well, who are actually trained in Romania? My physician diploma is issued by Romanian authorities, and so is my diploma of specialised physician. However we, foreigners, have to look for jobs in private cabinets or otherwise, just like Romanian doctors, have to find a better job abroad. I have been unemployed for one year now, but I get involved in projects for migrants at a multicultural centre in Timişoara, established in 2014.
Rep: Do Indian immigrant physicians succeed in their career? Do you have any success models?
H.M.B: There are many physicians from India who are on top in other countries. One of my fellow citizens came to Timişoara 4 years ago, at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, and performed a successful operation, as a première, together with the Romanian team of doctors. Physicians, regardless of their nationality, should not be considered as coming from India, Pakistan, Congo or Africa, but from a professional point of view. Medicine is a noble and universal profession. I don't introduce myself as Hanna Mohammad Babar from India, but as a cardiologist physician. And any country and any person needs physicians.
Rep: How did patients see you while you worked in hospitals in Timişoara?
H.M.B: I had a big success. Romanian patients welcomed me very fondly and so I regarded them as well, because I had the chance to "practice" on Romanian patients. Sometimes Romanian patients trusted us, foreign physicians, more than they trusted their fellow citizen doctors.
Rep: Do you regret not having professed in India?
H.M.B: I can't say I regret it, but sometimes when I speak to my parents - my mother has high blood pressure and my father suffers from heart diseases, so I think that if I had been home I could have taken care of my parents myself. This is a suffering which will stay for ever. However when I look around and see people of the same age with my parents or those I know since I was 19, I think that when I help here, God sees this and there will be someone to help my parents back home as well. I settled in Romania now, I go home every two years, but it would be very difficult to bring them here. It would be too difficult for them at their age to leave everything behind in India and adapt to the local culture and traditions here.
Rep: Do you believe your future is in Romania or do you plan to look for a job in the west?
H.M.B: I feel I have a duty now for the Romanian people who hosted me, tolerated me and to whom I adapted, so I still have patience. I want to give Romania one more chance. I hope it will reach the European level regarding human rights. I don't want to leave Romania after 17 years, but I have to think of my life. We, Indian physicians, are very demanded and welcomed in the United Kingdom. In Germany as well there are many of my colleagues who studied in Timişoara and now profess top medicine. Similarly in Sweden, the Netherlands.
Rep: You speak Romanian well, although you studied medicine in English. How have you learned our language?
H.M.B: I simply found similar words with my language: nose, sole, room, carrier, halal and I learned Romanian by myself. Discussions with people and the internet helped me a lot and I learned it in 6 months. I still happen to make grammar errors, but people correct me and that's how I learned.
Rep: You know that Indian films were much loved in Romania...
H.M.B: I am aware of this and I held activities on Indian culture in Timişoara, because this helps an openness between the two peoples. I even organised a festival between 15-19 June 2011 at the Youth House in Timişoara; I am a participant or active organiser when it comes to multicultural activities.
Rep: In your capacity of intercultural mediator, how would you advise Romanians regarding Indian immigrants, with respect to prejudices?
H.M.B: Romanians are peaceful, tolerant, they lived through communism and became more liberal, but they should get rid of stereotypes. A Romanian can suffer in the west the same things an Indian immigrant suffers. Romanians actually also suffer from stereotypes. But I believe in change, and people should first make in themselves the change they would like to see in others. So I advise Romanians to continue to understand that we are all humans, regardless of our skin. God created us and destiny leads us!
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