Falling BP. Low Haemoglobin, and Saas-Bahu drama: How this doctor saved a daughter-in-law

She arrived at the hospital barely able to stand, pain shadowing her every step. But to her family, it was all “just acting.” 

That moment lingered with Assam doctor Dr Priyam Bordoloi, who later recounted the case on X. 

What began as a routine request for calcium tablets spiralled into a race against time, a stark reminder of how dangerous it becomes when a woman’s symptoms are dismissed by the very people meant to protect her.

Speaking to India Today NE, Dr Priyam Bordoloi, a final-year MD student at Silchar Medical College and Hospital, recounted how a critically ill woman was brought to the OPD only to have her condition repeatedly undermined by her own family members.

The patient, visibly unwell and clutching her abdomen, was seated beside her husband, who immediately insisted, “Doctor, bas calcium de dijiye. Kuch nahi hua hai.” Her mother-in-law went further, telling the medical team that the woman was “acting” because she did not want to work. But as Dr Bordoloi examined her, he realised instantly that something was seriously wrong. Her blood pressure was crashing at 80/50, pulse racing, skin cold, breathing shallow—signs that would alarm any trained doctor. 

When he ordered a haemoglobin test, the family accused him of “overdoing it.” The results stunned everyone: Hb 4.2. As Dr Bordoloi told India Today NE, “The room went silent.”

Also Read: Cachar police nab fake doctor running illegal clinic in Sonai; 15 held so far

She was rushed to emergency care, where doctors discovered she was suffering from severe anaemia and early septic shock—a combination he described as “the kind that kills quietly when the people around the patient refuse to listen.” Even then, the family was reluctant to admit her and prepared to take her home against medical advice. Fearing she might not survive, he asked his intern to document the situation. “In many cases, families run away with the patient, and if something happens, they return, blaming the doctor. So we needed visual proof,” he said.

In his conversation with India Today NE, Dr Bordoloi stressed that the case he posted on social media was not an isolated incident. 

“This is not just one such case. I highlighted it because it shows how dangerous family dismissal can be,” he said. 

He explained that although the patient complained only of general weakness, her clinical appearance immediately told him she was gravely ill. An enlarged spleen, dangerously low haemoglobin, and signs of shock made immediate intervention critical.

But his conversation with us went far beyond the viral incident. 

He also addressed a growing concern in districts like Silchar—what he calls a “crisis of medical awareness” combined with the rampant practice of quack doctors. 

Comparing Guwahati and Silchar, he said the difference is stark. 

“In Guwahati, people directly seek neurologists or super-specialists. But in Silchar, many patients don’t even know who an MBBS doctor is. They go to anyone who writes ‘general practitioner’—homoeopathy, Ayurveda, or no degree at all.”

He revealed that even some Ayurvedic and homoeopathy practitioners prescribe only modern medicine, often without proper qualification. 

“That’s why I asked publicly: is Ayurveda becoming a shortcut for people who couldn’t get the marks for MBBS?” 

His earlier tweet questioning this parallel system provoked significant backlash, with the young doctor receiving several phone calls urging him to delete it. 

“For the first two days, I genuinely felt threatened,” he admitted. “But people need to know what is happening. At the end of the day, the public deserves clarity.”

Reflecting on his three years of intense residency, he said the first two years were so hectic that there was barely time to sleep. Now, with reduced duties in his final year, he finally has space to speak about what he sees every day—families silencing patients, caregivers interfering in treatment, and a healthcare environment where misinformation often overshadows medical expertise.

As his post continues to go viral, doctors across India have echoed his concerns, warning that family interference and unqualified medical advice remain major barriers to timely diagnosis. 

For Dr Priyam, the lesson is simple: “Sometimes the most important thing a doctor can do is believe the patient, even when nobody else does.”