Nagaland doctor will leave Kerala with heavy heart and a bundle of good memories

Thiruvananthapuram: After ten long years of medical studies in Kerala, Nagaland native Dr Visazo Kikhi will soon be leaving for Gujarat to serve in the Indian Railways. When he leaves the 'God’s Own Country,' he will do so with a heavy heart. But he will be leaving behind an inspiring story of how he overcame the challenges posed by his amputated leg and how he earned much goodwill for Kerala's education sector.

The Kerala government recently brought out a video on Dr Kikhi as part of the upcoming 'Keraleeyam' event showcasing the state's achievements. The video, which had already received public attention, was shared by Nagaland health minister Jacob Zimomi on social media, and it went viral.

The Kerala government felicitated Dr Kikhi at a function in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, as he had brought reputation and goodwill to Kerala's education sector.

"I am so attached to Kerala that I won't miss any future opportunity to do higher studies here," a much-delighted Dr Kikhi told DH.

Kikhi did MBBS at Kozhikode government medical college from 2013 onwards and later did post-graduation in surgery at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College hospital. Having learnt Malayalam soon after reaching Kerala, the Nagaland doctor could interact with patients in fluent Malayalam.

"I came to know about Kerala from Malayalis, who were my neighbours in Nagaland. They too motivated me to join the Kozhikode medical college after I cleared the entrance examination. Now, I am happy to see more people from Nagaland coming to Kerala for studies," he said.

A native of Kohima, Dr Kikhi lost his left leg in a train accident while he was studying in class 8. He got a prosthetic leg after he started his medical education in Kerala. He even took part in marathons afterwards and was also a volunteer during the first Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode.

During his schooling at Imphal Sainik school, his ambition was to serve in the defence forces. But the train mishap changed his life. “The service I received from doctors and nurses after the accident was enough to instil in me the ambition to become a doctor," said Kikhi.