Cardiologist Eugene Chazov: there is no better profession than a doctor
Mr. Chazov, have you had time for sightseeing in Astana except for our medical institutions?
Yes, I have. To build such beautiful city for such a short period of time is incredible. Of course, finances are necessary for implementation of such a project. But they must be disbursed rationally as well. Astana is a bright example of such disbursement. I consider that your next task is to select personnel that should work in the capital city.
Concerning your medical institutions, I can say that the state advanced technologies is perfect; you have big number of cardio-surgical beds, hold modern surgeries. Of course, this is a merit of you President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He always supports doctors. And using the occasion I would like thank him for paying attention to the healthcare.
Did you ever regret of choosing medicine? How do you view a modern doctor who must be a manager as well?
I believe that there is no a better profession than a doctor. What can be better then the situation when you bring a patient back to life. But I am both a doctor and a scientist. And the science is another profession. I was happy when achieved my goal - defined the mechanism of a disease, discovered something or established a new treatment method. In this regard I consider myself a happy person, combining professions of a doctor and a scientist. My motto is Stendhal's quotation: "Man lives on the Earth not to be rich, but to be happy".
Do you believe in doctor's intuition? Are you superstitious?
I have seen many things for 56 years of my medical practice. Intuition plays an important role in the doctor's activity, but this is not an abstract intuition. This is an intuition based on personal and common experience. There can't be an incident in the medicine. All incidents must be foreseen by attending medical doctors.
Concerning modern diseases such as AIDS, do you know the way put of the situation? Whether the modern medicine can keep up with the modern diseases?
The medicine is advancing all the time. New directions occur. Speaking of the future of the medicine I can say that many will depend on the genetics, i.e. it will be possible to make a diagnosis by genetic indexes and foresee the further condition of the patient.
Traditional medicine improves time after time. We see improvement of properties of pharmaceutical products. Scientists study effects of medication taking into account individual peculiarities of different people.
When we learn what genes suffer in a particular situation and what does every gene determine we will be able to affect upon the needed one and thus cure a patient. So we will get a new scheme, we call it a personified or individual medicine. I repeat once again that this is the future of healthcare that is not far off.
How do you think, will the medical science along with other scientific directions able to predict diseases and future threats?
I think yes. Today medicine explores new trends. Ahead of studying any process we pay attention to the work of genes. For instance, we observe 3,500 heart and blood vessel genes, compare healthy and sick ones and analyze possible reasons of genes misfunctioning. Then we study ways how to "repair" misfunctioning genes.
What do you think about alternative medicine, for example popular Chinese medicine?
I have an intimate knowledge of the Chinese medicine. It is passed on from generation to generation. Chinese doctors usually use such therapy that relates to a very high level here. For instance, acupuncture, it is when needles are applied to specific points on the body causing effect upon the particular parts of the nervous system.
Among your patients were many top level politicians.
It is not easy to remember something peculiar. For example, in New York former Secretary General of the United Nations U Thant was diagnosed with tumor. But he did not believe the American doctors. Then Thant asked us to examine him. By any means possible we visited the UN Headquarters and finally confirmed the diagnosis of the US doctors.
Note: Eugene Chazov has many awards, including various international orders and prizes. He received his first Order of Lenin for treatment of President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser.
What diseases are the most often diagnosed in politicians and diplomats? It is considered that people of these professions should restrain their emotions, and it causes many diseases.
Here nothing depends on medicine. Individual traits of character play big role here. We have cured many politicians and diplomats. Medically speaking they are usual people.
Does profession influence life expectancy?
Of course, we live on genes. A disease is a gene as well. If a man wears out any gene he will have problems with it in future. If a man often suffers from stresses it will affect his health finally. Here much depends on resistance of the nervous system and character. Indeed, our work influences our health and character.
The author thanks Chief Physician of "Cardiology Center" of Astana, Doctor of Medical Science Makhabbat Bekbossynova for the interview arrangement
