“I’m over the moon,” says paediatrician and neonatologist Dr. Srinivas Bolisetty, reacting to the news of his Public Service Medal (PSM) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
He admits, however, that this honour pales in comparison to the joy of saving children’s lives — and seeing them leave the hospital healthy and thriving.
As head of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick – known to be one of the busiest ICUs in NSW, he looks after some of the sickest babies referred to them from all over the state.
“In NSW alone, on average 15,000-20,000 newborn babies on average go into intensive care soon after birth,” Dr. Bolisetty says. “Many of them are profoundly sick with life threatening illnesses. An incredible amount of hard work goes into looking after them during these critical times, but it turns out to be can be life altering for them and their families. And rewarding for the health professionals.”
His work as a specialist neonatologist now spans across multiple domains, including patient care (caring for fragile sick babies from as young as 22 weeks gestation), research, clinical governance and innovation, leadership and training.
“This recognition is incredibly meaningful to me and my team, and a public validation, and celebration, of the field of neonatal care,” Dr. Bolisetty notes. “There’s deep humility, knowing that the work we’ve been doing has made such an impact. I want to emphasise that our achievements in the NICU are the result of a dedicated, multidisciplinary team working together. This medal is a testament to the tireless efforts of every nurse, doctor, pharmacist, therapist, and support staff member who has contributed to our mission. It’s a shared accomplishment, and I am proud to stand alongside such compassionate and skilled professionals.”
Joining the Randwick NICU in 1994 as a newborn specialist trainee, Dr Bolisetty became a fully qualified newborn specialist by 1999. In his earlier days in Australia as a young consultant in Alice Springs (2000-2001), his voluntary service in establishing a preterm parent group comprising Indigenous and non-Indigenous and communities in Alice Springs got a mention in NT Parliament Hansard by the then NT Health Minister in 2001.
He returned to the Randwick hospital in 2002.
During COVID-19, he was chosen by the state Ministry of Health to be the NSW Clinical Lead for the NICUs to deal with COVID-19 related complications for newborns across the state.
Dr Bolisetty credits his early paediatric training at the prestigious Postgraduate Institute (PGI) in Chandigarh for helping him find a foothold in Australia’s medical fraternity. “The wealth of knowledge that I came here with, as a young migrant in 1994, not only helped to speed up the securing of an Australian degree in medicine, it also contributed to one of my most memorable cases,” he says, recalling a rare medical condition he helped to diagnose in his very early days in Australia, nearly 26 years ago.
Detailing this particular case, he narrates, “Back when the Royal Hospital was still operating out of Paddington, we had a very sick child admitted to the NICU with no prognosis forthcoming. The senior doctors were open to hear me out, and eventually agreed with my diagnosis of his rare condition. That changed the course of treatment for the baby. I am happy to reveal that the patient, now a grown up of course, is healthy and living well in Gold Coast, and continues to be in touch with me till date.”
In many ways, life has taken a full circle for Dr Srinivas Bolisetty who is now sharing his wealth of knowledge to help improve medical outcomes all over the world, including India. “The holistic care provided in Australian hospitals is second to none. I am now working to train doctors and mentor senior clinicians in India and helping to shape guidelines for Indian hospitals based off our ways of working here,” he informs.
Fondly known as ‘the King of consensus’ among his peers, Dr Bolisetty established the Australasian Neonatal Medicines Formulary to bring together the best and brightest experts from around the world to give advice on medicines and get all clinicians to agree on standardising the care for sick babies. His clinical protocols are now the source of truth not only for all hospitals across NSW, but also interstate and in many countries including New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe and Israel and even USA.
Winner of many local awards for innovations in healthcare and improving patient outcomes, Dr Bolisetty admits each day still brings a new challenge. “I am still constantly learning, especially with all the new technological advancements,” he says.
With all the long hours, though, Dr. Srinivas Bolisetty admits working in intensive care is not for the fainthearted. Yet says, “It is a very rewarding career if you have passion and commitment.”
