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Dr. Virendra Bisla - a fighter against discrimination

Where there is a will there is a way — this adage has been amply proved by Dr. Virendra Bisla, a successful cardiologist and a noted community activist. He feels that one cannot achieve anything if one does not set a goal and work for it. In the process, one often faces obstacles in achieving one’s goals. But, with perseverance, the obstacles turn into steppingstones for success. If today the Indian community enjoys a haloed position in the US political circles, it is because of the pioneering work of activists like Dr. Bisala in the areas of professional, social and political circles.

By J.V. Lakshmana Rao

Chicago: Where there is a will there is a way — this adage has been amply proved by Dr. Virendra Bisla, a successful cardiologist and a noted community activist. Though he lives in Chicago, he is know all over — in professional and political circles of the US.
Coming from a modest family of Lucknow in India, Dr. Bisla knows the value of hard work. He feels that one cannot achieve anything if one does not set a goal and work for it. In the process, one often faces obstacles in achieving one’s goals. But, with perseverance, the obstacles turn into steppingstones for success.
If today the Indian community enjoys a haloed position in the US political circles, it is because of the pioneering work of activists like Dr. Bisala in the areas of professional, social and political circles.
Faced by discrimination in profession area, though he was highly skilled and successful in his work, Dr. Bisla has realized the need for the Indian immigrants to be socially and politically active to seek their rightful position in society in this country. As a result, he has the rare distinction of establishing personal rapport and dine with four US presidents, Gerald Ford, RichardNixon, George Bush and more recently with Bill Clinton. Because of his high profile popularity, he is often seen rubbing shoulders with highly placed politicians, including presidents and vice presidents of the country.
Dr. Bisla is the first chairman of the Board Directors of first Indian bank in the US — National Republic Bank of Chicago. He is one of the first presidents of the medical staff in a major hospital - the South Chicago Community Hospital. And he was first Indian physician to testify in the US Congress and the US Senate.
Right from his childhood, Dr. Bisla dreamed to be a successful cardiologist. In fact, the seed of medical profession as a career was sown in his mind by his father, Ajit Singh, who was schoolteacher of the English language at Rajthal, a little village in Haryana state of north India. Dr. Bisla’s mother, Mishri Devi, a housewife, had always been supportive.
Dr. Bisla was born on July 10, 1946. He was the first-born of two sons and two daughters of his parents. Having graduated as the topper from Kanjawala High School, he was readily accepted into Hans Raj College in New Delhi. Here he learnt, besides his pre-medical course, the vast difference between the village life and city life. However, city life has not distracted him from his serious studies.
Having graduated with flying colors in pre-medical course from Hans Raj College, he took the competitive exam in July 1964 that was to decide his future as a doctor. Qualifying with honors in this highly competitive examination, he joined Maulana Azad Medical College. That was the just beginning of the fulfillment of his dream. Though money was a constraint, be was able to borrow costly medical books from the book bank, the library and from rich friends. It was during his medical education, he experienced real trials and tribulations of life. But medical college life was also an experience where had lived in intellectual atmosphere. His simple and honest disposition won him several good friends and well wishers.
Nostalgically, he explains that having hailed from a village and having had higher education in a city, he had the best of both worlds. He says such experience has helped him to relate with the common men, who are his patients. His intellectual prowess has earned him friends among the rich and the affluent.
Graduating from Maulana Azad Medical College in 1969, Dr. Bisla was faced with the problem that every independent doctor faces. How to go into business for oneself and establish a practice? Having no access to funds and following financial necessities at home to support his family, Dr. Bisla took the E.C.F.M.G. exam in Kabul, deciding to leave for the United States, which besides everything was also the “in” thing for doctors then.
Having qualified in the E.C.F.M.G, he chose Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore to do his internship as they offered him the best deal, including his air ticket from Delhi.
Dr. Bisla moved to the US in in January 1971. He was asked to perform a surgery on his very first day in an emergency. His skill impressed his superiors and they even tried to coax him to specialize in surgery. But he had flatly declined the offer, because his interests lay in cardiology. His tenure at Franklin Square lasted for two years. He completed his internship and warmly remembers the pleasant experience as his intial reaction to the US.
While his patients were very receptive and had no problems accepting him as doctor, he experienced discrimination among his peers and fellow doctors, who always looked down on him and other Indian doctors as insufficiently trained.
Dr. Bisla says that the medical training in India is exceptionally good if not better than in the Western world. Indian doctors have very good experience in handling patients and conducting accurate diagnosis with much lesser scientific equipment.
He remembers that when he moved to Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago as a resident in internal medicine, he received the similar discrimination. Undaunted, like most Indian doctors, Dr. Bisla completed his residency and was offered a Fellowship in cardiology, his most cherished goal.
Following the completion of his Fellowship in 1977, Dr. Bisla set up his private practice, but could never get over the discrimination that he and his fellow doctors went through.
Meeting with five of his colleagues at the Gaylord Restaurant in 1978, he formed the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to fight discrimination against doctors of foreign origin. What started with five doctors has now hundreds of members. The IMA specialized in channelizing its resources into helping doctors procure licenses to practice, immigration matters, visa problems, free medical care and help to find residencies for new doctors.
Under the leadership of Dr. Bisla, the IMA has become instrumental in initiating the Solarz’s Bill to fight discrimination against doctors of Indian origin. He testified in the US Congress for the FMG Bill before the Waxman Committee on Health.
He also initiated the Paul Simon Bill and testified in the Senate for the FMG Bill, which banned discrimination against immigrant doctors.
He ardently believed in need for a strong political activism to mobilize and channelize opinions to make significant and constructive changes in the system. This thought and work have made him to rope in politicians and lobby for various legislations to fight against discrimination and bring an identity for the Indian immigrants, including the physicians. Therefore, in connection with the Fifth Preference, he lobbied with Senator Ted Kennedy to evoke the Preference so that immigrants could bring their brothers and sisters to the US apart from their immediate family members.
As chairman of the Indo-American Business Forum, he is trying to bring together business groups and draw the attention of prominent politicians in his circle to change policy and move legislations to make the climate more favorable to the Indian business community.
His interests in the socio-economic issues has led him into studying the problems of women in India and those of the common man namely the farmers, and the issues of agriculture and irrigation. His ability to relate to the common man, which is a true skill of good leadership, stands him good stead in these endeavors.
Married in December 1972, to Bala, who hails from Delhi, Dr Bisla is the proud father of three children, Ritu, Sundeep and Rushmi.
Aplart from attending to his flourishing private practice in Calument City in souther Chicago, Dr. Bisla is also the director of cardio-vascular services at EHS Trinity Hospital in Chicago. He is a member of the Out- patient Surgery Commission of the State of Illinois and serving member of the Commission of Illinois Department of Public Health.

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