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Ranjana Srivastava

Ranjana Srivastava

The Guardian

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As my eldest sits his final school exam, I’m grateful to the fine teachers who helped me parent him

“I hope you’re not going to do something like this,” warns my son on his way to attend a surprise 18th party courageously arranged by his...

19.11.2024 20

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

In an era of remarkable cancer advances, getting a second opinion can help guide choices and provide valuable reassurance

“Please see this patient for an urgent second opinion,” pleaded the letter on my desk. But when I read the referral, it became clear that the...

05.11.2024 9

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

When I delivered the worst of news to my dying patient, she cried – but not about her prognosis

“Now I am crying because you are sitting there.” “I am sorry,” I say, preparing to jump up. “No, please stay!” This is our first meeting....

22.10.2024 8

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

When is it time for an older doctor to hang up their stethoscope? We owe it to their patients to get it right

At my medical graduation over 25 years ago, the earnest guest speaker made us promise we would get ourselves a GP. All 160 of us humoured him,...

08.10.2024 8

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Martin Rowson on Keir Starmer’s ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ – cartoon

24.09.2024 40

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

When should you call an ambulance? The decision could mean the difference between life or death – and not just your own

“Your ankle has hurt for months, what brought you in today?” “It’s quiet on Sundays.” The instant dismay of seeing a well person in...

24.09.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

In the face of grief, it’s hard to find the right words to say. What matters is that you keep trying

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing. Thus...

10.09.2024 9

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Knowing your blood pressure could save your life

“I feel fine,” she says, brushing the crumbs off her top. “What’s the fuss for?” I have dashed to my patient’s bedside after being...

27.08.2024 9

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

The world is suffering a shortage of intravenous fluids – meanwhile vitamin infusions are all the rage for the worried well

Last week, I met a young man with cerebral palsy, hospitalised with an infection. Not capable of speaking, he lay quietly in his bed. Although he...

15.08.2024 50

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

An elderly woman comes to hospital every second day. It breaks my heart to send her home

“I like you, that’s why I come here. You talk nicely.” She flatters me, but my patient’s warm words are cold comfort. This is her 14th...

30.07.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

When a loved one was dying in India, the advice I gave to my family was not what they expected

Twelve months ago, I received a call familiar to many migrants with relatives spread around the world. Bare Papa was gravely ill in intensive care in...

16.07.2024 40

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Dying well at home costs money – Australia must fund palliative care better

“I am sorry to have ruined your morning,” she says, clasping my hand, both of us tearful. I spot her bracelets, beaded ones spelling the names of...

02.07.2024 5

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Groundless complaints can drive doctors away. Here’s why patients need to be held accountable

We have heard all about accountable doctors. Here’s why patients must be held accountable. “I saved you a voicemail,” my friend says over a...

18.06.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

The ill treatment of my friend’s 90-year-old mother shows how broken our aged care system is

This is the story of a 90-year-old woman, her ill treatment at the hands of Australia’s broken aged-care system and how I came to dispense possibly...

04.06.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

In her defiance of statistics, my longest-living cancer patient was dignified, composed and magnanimous

By the time most people read this, the funeral of my longest-living patient will probably be over. We first met when I was pregnant and she found out...

21.05.2024 70

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

A letter to my kids: sometimes, my love for you must feel conditional but on Mother’s Day, let me say that I love you

“Why don’t you ever say, ‘I love you’ to Nanima?”, you used to ask. “I am Indian! I take my mum to the temple instead.” By now, you have...

11.05.2024 20

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

What is the most important word in medicine? It is not what we teach doctors

“What’s a Festschrift?” my youngest asks. “In German it means ‘celebration writing’,” I say, “I’m going to an academic conference to...

07.05.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Australia’s new national cancer plan is brimming with good ideas – here are my top three picks

“I can’t thank you enough for your help.” This gratitude from a cancer survivor surprises me since I recall doing little of the sort. Some years...

23.04.2024 50

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

What Fifi the dog’s final months can show us about cancer treatment and caring until the end

“Ranjana, how long can Fifi live with liver cancer?” An unexpected aspect of being an oncologist (for humans) is being approached for advice about...

09.04.2024 80

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Patients keep asking if they should take cannabis for their cancer. The answer is still no

It’s fair to say my patients were using cannabis long before I knew it was a “thing”. My first memory of encountering the drug was a decade ago...

01.04.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

No one should see a chiropractor thinking they are seeing a doctor

”Don’t judge me, but I saw a chiropractor”, says my friend. Last time we discussed her lower back pain, I had advised her to keep moving, avoid...

12.03.2024 20

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

What’s the best gift I can give my daughter at 16? The same gift my mother gave me

“Hold your mum’s hand and call an ambulance.” “Should I give her extra morphine?” “Good idea.” Then I say something I rarely say when I...

22.02.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

I’m an oncologist. This is what King Charles and my cancer patients have in common

“It must be cancer. Just look at her face and hair.” Even knowing that she meant well, I stopped my friend from speculating about his aunt....

13.02.2024 10

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

Next time your doctor orders a scan, know the benefits but don’t forget to ask about the harm

“And one more thing, what do you want to do about this?” The trainee looks so apologetic that I suspect a medical error relating to our...

30.01.2024 7

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

When my doctor couldn’t save my pregnancy, he did the next best thing

Nearing the end of his life, a patient tells me, “If you should ever need it, I hope your doctor is as good to you as you have been to me.” It is...

16.01.2024 30

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

At first my dog was shunned by my ageing parents, now they can’t get enough of him

“Why do you want a dog? Don’t you have enough to do?” To be fair, my parents had reacted similarly to my decision to have a third child and...

19.12.2023 6

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

As a doctor I’ve been given some inexpensive yet priceless gifts. These are my favourites

Every December a hospital communique concerning gifts “provided and received in the course of your work” lands in my inbox. It says, naturally,...

05.12.2023 20

The Guardian

Ranjana Srivastava

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