Thank you, dear doctor

"I am writing to thank you for the excellent care you took of me during my convalescence. But for your efforts, my recovery could not have been as quick,” wrote Prime Minister Man­mohan Singh to Dr Aashish Contractor, head of preventive cardiology and rehabilitation at The Asian Heart Institute and Research Centre in Bombay on March 18, 2009, following the former’s open heart surgery performed on January 24, 2009 by Dr R. Panda, head of the Institute.

Dr Aashish Contractor (left) and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

The doctor’s proud wife Phiroza Billimoria Contractor sent an e-mail to inform Parsiana about the Prime Minister’s "gratitude to my husband, Aashish” and attached a copy of the missive which further read: "Your patients should count themselves lucky as they not only have the benefit of expertise of the highest caliber but also of genuine concern for their well being. I am sure your quiet efficiency, sympathetic attitude and professionalism will give many a fresh lease of life in the years to come.”

Contractor, who has been associated with the Mumbai Marathon since its inception because The Asian Heart Institute is its medical partner, was in Delhi in November 2009 where he had been invited for the half marathon. During that visit the Prime Minister was kind enough to meet his doctor again. The cardiologist, who is a runner himself, takes a personal interest in the event. He has run in the London marathon and had participated in the half marathon in Bombay in 2009.

Contractor, 38, obtained his MBBS degree from Bombay’s Nair College in 1993 and went to the University of Virginia, USA for postgraduate studies which he completed in 1997.