Dr. Ilin Kinimi
Y Merina Chishi
Dimapur | December 14
What started as a childhood dream has turned into reality for the pioneering doctor among the Nagas in the field of Pediatrics. Dr. Ilin Kinimi has come a long way since she began treading the path of medicine several years ago at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. A Consultant at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore, Dr. Ilin Kinimi has set a benchmark by becoming one among the few certified Specialists in this field of Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine in India.
Dr. Ilin is the eldest daughter of senior politician and former Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland, I.K Sema. She did her schooling from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Shimla and went on to finish her MBBS and MD (Pediatrics) from Kalwati Saran Children’s Hospital and Associated Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi in 2006. Thereafter, she continued as a Senior Resident and trained under Professor Varinder Singh, an eminent Pediatric Pulmonologist in Delhi.
Dr Ilin went on to complete a 2 year Fellowship Programme in Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine from the National University Hospital, National University of Singapore from 2010 to 2012. She was given additional training and exposure in Interventional Flexible Bronchoscopies, Sleep Medicine and relevant clinics, Home Ventilation, Cystic Fibrosis & Chronic Lung Management clinics and advanced Lung Function Tests.
Sharing her experience towards this great journey, Dr. Ilin said, “My journey has been unbelievable and remarkable and I really received a lot of ‘unmerited favour’ every step of my career.” She said that Pediatrics was always her dream while she was pursuing her MBBS. “It was tough to crack the entrance exams to get in through this Speciality. I was fortunate enough to get through and survive the gruelling training,” she added.
With only a few certified doctors in this field, Dr. Ilin took on the challenge because of the encouragement she received from her first mentor who is a Pediatric Pulmonologist. She was also fortunate enough to work and train with the best – and subsequently got an opportunity to pursue a Fellowship Programme in Singapore.
Dr. Ilin has to her credit several awards, patents and publications. She has received the Dr. Balagopal Raju Endowment Award (gold medal for research)- for thesis paper titles ‘Treating childhood Tuberculosis’ in 2006, and the Smt. Ved & Shri Ram Award (gold medal) for best resident in Neonatology at the Annual Convocation ceremony, Lady Hardinge Medical college in 2006. Her articles have also been published in the leading Indian Journal of Practical Pediatrics.
She has made paper presentations at national and International Conferences and has attended several workshops including the ASEAN Paediatric Congress & Asian Paediatric Otolaryngology Meeting in Singapore and the NAPST Sleep workshop and hands-on training in Polysomnography in Malaysia among others.
But for this mother of two, struggling to balance work and a family life has not been easy. “The biggest challenge has been to keep myself focused and going-despite my own expectations and limitations and other people’s set standards.”
But an even bigger challenge has been breaking out of the mould and stepping into a man’s domain. “Even now- the subspecialty (Pediatric Pulmonology) is virtually a man’s field so therein lies yet another challenge,” she said.
Reaching such heights has taken a humungous amount of effort, hard work, perseverance and sacrifice for Dr. Ilin. “God really plucked me out and took me to all the right people and right places at the right time. I would say I worked hard and was sincere but it all came through by His favour coupled with an amazing husband and wonderful family support,” she said.
On the challenges that lie ahead, she said that it is an endless road for doctors and with such fast moving times - to be in tune and up to date is very essential. “It also involves a lot of mental stress and that is the toughest challenge that doctors must face in their daily practice,” she added.
