Dr Visazo Kikhi, a 29-year-old doctor, is all set to officially assume the role of Ambassador for Higher Education in Kerala on October 19. Dr Kikhi, who gained widespread recognition for his endorsement of Kerala’s healthcare facilities, will also participate in a TV panel discussion hosted by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as part of the program, “Naam Munnottu” on the morning of 19 October which can be viewed on YouTube. During the discussion, he said, he will share insights on general medical and healthcare issues related to both Nagaland and Kerala.
Dr Visazo Kikhi has been on trend, following the viral success of a video where he praised the state’s medical facilities. Dr Kikhi spent a decade of his life in Kerala, pursuing his MBBS and MS degrees in government medical colleges within the state. He completed his MBBS at Kozhikode (Calicut Medical College), and obtained his Master of Surgery at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College. He will soon leave for Baroda, Gujarat, to embark on a new role as a railway surgeon after successfully clearing the UPSC Combined Medical Services Examination.
We should not be happy with the mediocrity we have in Nagaland: Dr Visazo Kikhi
Reflecting on his journey to becoming the Ambassador of Higher Education in Kerala, Dr Kikhi acknowledged that a friend during his Calicut days, who is a journalist, first wrote a story about him in 2017 for The Deccan Chronicle. Their friendship endured over time, and when his friend, now a part of the Kerala government’s PR Department, noticed he will depart from Kerala, they collaborated on a video.
“Since this year, the Kerala government has been conducting an annual program called Keraleeyam – a program aimed at portraying Kerala as a friendly state, welcoming to other people. My friend noticed that I have been here for 10 years, know Malayalam, and have thoroughly enjoyed my stay here in Kerala, so he made a video about it. The video was well-received by people here in Kerala, and the state gave me so much love,” he told Mokokchung Times, adding that he will be felicitated as the Ambassador of Higher Education in Kerala.
In his role as Ambassador, Dr Kikhi expressed his intent to focus on promoting Kerala’s healthcare system and higher education whenever he addresses audiences.
When asked about what distinguishes Kerala’s healthcare system, he remarked, “If we are inside Nagaland, we will never understand the health care system outside. Now that I have been living and working here, I can compare it with Nagaland also. We are happy with the mediocrity we see in Nagaland. We are happy that we are getting some treatment, some kind of schemes and all, but if we come out here, we realize that Nagaland is lacking so much behind.” He further supported his views with statistics like Infant Mortality Rate and other key indicators.
Dr Kikhi particularly emphasized the discrepancy between Nagaland and Kerala’s medical colleges, noting, “In 61 years of statehood, we just got a medical college. Here in Kerala, in almost every district they have one medical college. They have world-class private hospitals with good facilities.”
He went on to highlight the accessibility and affordability of healthcare in Kerala, stating, “Recently, we come across news regarding schemes and insurance where people go to hospitals in Nagaland and find that only 70% of the cost is reimbursed or they struggle to even get the reimbursement and things like that, but in Kerala, you do not need money also. Take the card number or the photocopy of your health card – you do not need money, you can be a general public, a farmer, a fisherman, you come to OPD, the card gets activated. From your admission up to your discharge, everything is paid by the government.”
Dr Kikhi concluded by emphasizing his commitment to promoting both Kerala and Nagaland, stating, “I am always diplomatic. I don’t lean on any government whatever I say; I won’t support or be critical of the Nagaland or Kerala government. I will be just sharing my personal view of my experience of 10 years. I will be communicating a lot about Kerala and Nagaland because I love my state and I want it to improve. I want them to know that we should not be happy with the mediocrity that we have out there (Nagaland).”
Dr Visazo Kikhi’s life story is one of exceptional courage and determination, having overcome a significant setback when he lost his left leg in a train accident while studying in Class VIII. Despite this adversity, he persevered and achieved remarkable success in his medical studies, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of education in his field.