Yohannan John

Yohannan John was born in 1960 in Malaysia of Indian Descent. His family was part of the Diaspora from Kerala, India during and after India’s freedom Struggle. His parents were part of the famed Indian National Army headed by Subhash Chandra Bose. His father is a decorated veterinary officer and was the president of the Rotary club.

Early years

His early years and Schooling was from Hilltop School in Johor Bahru Malaysia. During the late 1960s his family returned to India and settled in Bangalore. It is in Bangalore that he completed his high school from the well known educational institution Bishop cotton boys school. He followed his high school graduation with Pre Medical education from the prestigious Jesuit Institution of St. Josephs College, Bangalore. John is an avid sports enthusiast and played tennis and represented the State of Karnataka India. He was also a leader and led the prestigious National Cadet Corps (NCC) of the Armoured division in Karnataka.

He then pursued his career in medical sciences with an education from Bapuji Medical College, Davangere affiliated to Mysore University. His MBBS degree was followed with an MD degree in Anesthesiology from Command Air Force Hospital Bangalore. During this time he attained distinctions in Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology

Career

It was with an MD in Anaesthesiology that John expanded his specialization and experience with stints at some of the leading healthcare institutions in India like Kasturba Medical College & Hospital in Mangalore and Manipal.

He is an excellent educationist and this is proved from his dual role as an Assistant Professor and consultant in Anesthesiology at St. Johns Medical College & Hospital Bangalore India. From St. Johns Medical College Hospital he went to the UK and Ireland for specialized training in different facets of medical practice, anesthesia and resuscitation.

For a period of four years in the UK he worked extensively in some of the leading teaching hospitals in Europe which included the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, St. James Hospital (Trinity College) & Crumlin Children’s Hospital. The Hospitals mentioned are national referral centers for various specialties including trauma, neuro surgery, vascular, orthopedic, plastic surgery, pediatric surgery and intensive care.

Contribution

With the great reverse brain drain happening in India John was not far behind his compatriots including Sharan Patil of Sparsh Hospital to return to his home country, India in 1999. The same year John joined Bhagavan Mahaveer Jain Hospital in Bangalore, a super specialty Hospital. He worked as a consultant anesthetist and went onto head the Department of Anesthesia. He was subsequently appointed on the hospital advisory council. John has given a number of lectures both nationally and internationally and is involved in post graduate teaching and research. He currently works at Sparsh Hospital headed by Sharan Patil and an integral part of the team which operated on Lakshmi Tatma the eight limbed girl. At Sparsh Hospital he plays multiple roles. He is the Chief of the Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management Services and is also the Director of Medical Services at the hospital. He is a part of the project called "Resuscitation by Right" for accident victims.

Laxmi Tatma

Lakshmi Tatma, the two-year-old ischiopagus conjoined twin with eight limbs from a remote village in the district of Araria of the state of Bihar, India, brought worldwide attention to Sharan Patil and his chief anesthetist John of Sparsh Hospital. Tatma went for surgery on November 6, 2007. This marathon surgery lead by Sharan Patil constituted a large team of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and which included the famous paediatric anesthetist John. John was the chief anesthetist and resistivist and played an important role in the operation which lasted 20 hours and resulted in the successful separation of the parasitic twin from the body of Lakshmi Tatma. It was due to his experience and his efforts that the operation right from the time of being induced to the time of being weaned from the ventilator was carried due to his calculated precision in anesthesiology. This was the first time that surgery of this magnitude was conducted in India. The entire treatment process was carried out free of cost through the Sparsh Foundation.

Sparsh Foundation

John believes strongly in responsible healthcare. Healthcare that does not discriminate between social and economic classes which is the hall mark of his compatriot Dr. Sharan Patil’s philosophy. He advocates that it is the moral responsibility of every healthcare institution to create affordable healthcare and advocates for Sparsh foundation and its programs.