In over a decade of pediatric practice, two priorities have never changed for me: nutrition and vaccination. As a pediatric intensivist at KIMS Hospital, Thane, I've seen firsthand how these two simple things stand between a healthy childhood and a medical emergency.
One afternoon, our emergency department head rushed into my OPD: a child wasn't moving and was gasping for breath. I found a one-year-old unconscious, pale, and in respiratory failure. We intubated her immediately. Her tests came back with a shocking haemoglobin of just 1.8 g/dL — a level we usually see only in leukaemia or severe bone marrow disease. The real cause here was severe iron deficiency anemia, and a common viral infection (RSV) had tipped her into heart and respiratory failure. Six months later, she was still recovering from damage that timely iron supplementation and dietary guidance could have prevented.
Her twin sister wasn't as far gone when we caught her anemia—haemoglobin 2.4 g/dL—and with prompt transfusion, iron therapy, and diet changes, both girls now have healthy haemoglobin levels of 11–12 g/dL.
Around the same time, a seven-year-old came in with fever, seizures, and altered consciousness. Scans showed meningitis with brain infarcts, and it turned out his vaccination schedule was incomplete—the infection was invasive pneumococcal disease. He survived, but needed months of rehabilitation for his weakened right hand. The pneumococcal vaccine alone cuts the risk of meningitis and bloodstream infection by 70–80%.
These cases taught me that a child's future rests on four pillars: hygiene, nutrition, complete vaccination, and a nurturing family environment.
A paediatrician isn't someone you visit only when your child falls sick. Choosing the best pediatrician near you — one who tracks growth, catches nutritional gaps early, and keeps vaccines on schedule — is one of the most protective decisions a new parent can make.
Dr. Jaykishan Tripathi practices as a pediatric intensivist at KIMS Hospital, Thane, specialising in critical care, child nutrition, and immunization.