THE JOURNEY

After college, Dr Heda pursued MBBS at the Government Medical College and Hospital, which was affiliated to Nagpur University then. He recalls, “I passed every year, though a gold medal never came my way. But I was determined not to fail.”

Following his Masters in Orthopaedics in Bombay (now Mumbai), he began his career at JJ Hospital and GS Medical College as a houseman registrar and later as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. Soon after, he was appointed Chief of Orthopaedics at ESTS Hospital, Andheri—among the youngest consultants of his time.

He had become a doctor, but it was not what he intended to be. Dr Heda wanted to be an engineer, “but one visit to Nagpur medical college changed everything. At that moment, I realised my true calling was not to design machines, but to heal people and serve humanity,” he recalls. It was the same zeal that led him to Africa, instead of more lucrative destinations like the UK and the US, where he got fellowships from. He wanted to be where people needed good medical services the most. “That is why after travelling to over 70 countries, I finally made Nairobi, Kenya, my home,” he says.

He began his career as a private practitioner in Kenya, alongside his lectureship in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Nairobi. When the government later banned private medical practice, it was economically challenging. However, his academic career not only sustained him but also enriched him, giving him opportunities to visit and cultivate collaborations across several European universities. This exposure not only broadened his perspective but also reinforced his moral and academic values—principles he continues to uphold even today. Having risen from the ranks to become Pro-Chancellor of Lukenya University in East Africa, Dr Heda also champions environmental stewardship, leading an initiative to plant 10 million trees in five years, with over one million already planted.

Dr Heda still fixes bones as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Nairobi Hospital and has held key roles in many international associations, including Federation Secretary of Africa for the International College of Surgeons (USA), head of the East Africa Chapter of the World Orthopaedic Concern (UK), and Regional Secretary of Africa for the International Association for Accident & Traffic Medicine (Turkey). He also served as Vice President of SICOT, the world’s largest Orthopaedic Surgeons’ organisation with members from 103 countries.