While we could write a book on the head of the Bhui family, the very popular and charming Dr. Paramjit Singh Bhui, who left Mumbai with his sweetheart from the South, the beautiful Nalini Bhui (herself a leading physician) and settled for thirty years in Surrey (and thirty-eight years in Canada as he got his medical degree in Manitoba) and continues to be the longest actively working South Asian Paediatrician in BC. and perhaps in Canada with a booming practise, this story concerns his eldest son Dr. Ravinder Dennis Bhui , the recently appointed Head of Department of Surgery, Burnaby Hospital as part of the Fraser Health Authority.

By R. Paul Dhillon

SURREY – There are many Indo-Canadian families with overachievers and the well known Bhui family of all doctors (their son Dr. Ravinder Dennis Bhui even married a doctor) is a rare one when it comes to superlatives both professionally and as excellent human beings

While we could write a book on the head of the Bhui family, the very popular and charming Dr. Paramjit Singh Bhui, who left Mumbai with his sweetheart from the South, the beautiful Nalini Bhui (herself a leading physician) and settled for thirty years in Surrey (and thirty-eight years in Canada as he got his medical degree in Alberta-Sasketchewan) and continues to be the longest actively working South Asian Paediatrician in BC. and perhaps in Canada with a booming practise, this story concerns his eldest son Dr. Ravinder Dennis Bhui , the recently appointed Head of Department of Surgery, Burnaby Hospital as part of the Fraser Health Authority.

Our story begins with Burnaby resident Glen Atkinson, who arrived back from a Mexican vacation to find large black floaters in his right eye and after a visit to a local doctor who wasn’t so concerned, Atkinson lost 75% of vision in one eye the next day.

This was a real emergency and Atkinson was sent to an ophthalmologist Dr. Dhaliwal who quickly concluded that the patient’s eye was hemorrhaging and he needed to see a retina specialist.

And this is where our Hero-who-saves –day comes in. Atkinson finally made his way to a medical office in Metrotown to meet up with the retina specialist Dr. R. Dennis Bhui., who quickly confirmed a large tear and hemorrhage in Atkinson’s eye and did his immediate best to repair the damaged eye with a laser. But the young Dr. Bui, who is in fact the youngest Head of Department of Surgery, Burnaby Hospital, wasn’t very pleased as there was too much blood and he couldn't tell if he got it all.

Atkinson was asked to come to Dr. Bhui’s office the next day and while there was some improvement in Atkinson’s eye but it was not enough to satisfy Dr. Bhui, who asked the patient to go back to the hospital the following day as he was in surgeries there all day and would fit me in between them.

Dr. Bhui examined Atkinson again and “amazing” this time the hemorrhaging had cleared enough for him to get a better look at the damaged eye. The young doctor decided his patient needed emergency surgery and Atkinson was prepped for surgery by the very busy ER personnel and before he knew it, he was on a bed being sent up to an operating room. The surgery went well and the patient was well taken care of by the hospital staff and Dr. Bhui.

In his letter to Dr. Bhui and the Burnaby medical staff who helped the patient rescue his sight, Atkinson said: “I'm so thankful.

“I would like to thank all the staff and the ER doctor who helped me out that night. Our health-care system may not be perfect but it is far better than most other places in this world,” Atkinson concluded.

Dr. Ravinder Dennis Bhui (far right) , the Head of Department of Surgery, Burnaby Hospital as part of the Fraser Health Authority

It was just another hectic day for this young and brilliant surgeon Dr. Bhui, who was simply doing his job as best as he could. Dr. Bhui is part of what makes our health system tick and work well given many factors. Doctors like Dr. Bhui and all of medical professionals and hospital staff deserve praise and accolades for the great medical services they provide especially in time of emergencies like Atkinson was in.