Indian doctors Monika and Kamal Saini talk about their work in treating cancer

Monika and Kamal Saini are an Indian couple both working in the medical field and living in Brussels. They invite me to their home in leafy Uccle, high up on the seventh floor, which offers beautiful views of the south of the city. In the company of their toddler, Neil, who adds just a little mischief to our evening, we talk over drinks and Indian snacks.

You’ve been in Brussels for five years. What are your jobs?

Kamal: In 2009, we were both working in Bangalore. The European Society of Medical Oncology advertised an opening for a two-year fellowship, for which I was accepted. We thought it would be the perfect international exposure – to meet new people, learn new things, and come back and use our new knowledge. Monika got a position here in her field very soon after. She was asked to stay longer, and here we are now.

Monika: I’m a pathologist, working in molecular research into pathogenesis and mechanisms of thyroid cancers at Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc.

K: I’m a medical oncologist and associate scientific director at Breast International Group (BIG), a clinical research focus group based at Institut Jules Bordet.

 Can you tell me about BIG and your work there?

K: BIG works on early drug development for breast cancer and organises international clinical trials. I’m involved very closely in virtually all aspects of the process: the design of the study, protocol, budget, contract, governance. It’s a complex and tightly regulated environment – we’re working with drugs that have potentially serious side-effects. It’s cutting-edge work and is going to change the way breast cancer medication is practised.

 Monika, how is the working environment at Saint-Luc’s?

M: There’s a very good team at the institute, and very good support from the laboratory. There’s a lot of mutual respect at the lab for people from different countries, and always a helping hand.

What attracted you to your respective disciplines?

K: I was training at AIIMS hospital in New Delhi in the early 2000s when I developed an interest in oncology. At the time the human genome had just been mapped, and we thought we would see rapid advances in oncology. But cancer is more difficult to beat than we thought. It’s one battle that is still being fought.

M: I was always interested in diagnostics. Pathology is the science of the origin, nature and course of the disease: not just treating the disease symptoms but finding out about the root cause.

How do you juggle being parents with your careers?

M: Neil goes to daycare near our home: it’s clean, has good food and the child-to-minder ratio is very good. We’re very happy with it. And we have balanced working hours, so it works well.

What are the qualities needed for your job?

M: It’s important to have a positive attitude, and to be willing to learn – you have to learn every day from anyone who can teach you. It also requires critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

K: Flexibility, rational and analytical ability, an open mind. Also in my current job, you need diplomacy, as we are the central headquarters of the organisation, dealing with 50 member groups worldwide, and are present in thousands of hospitals.

What are the difficulties of your job?

K: Oncology by its nature is difficult – you should be clinically detached and not swayed by emotions. But cancer research is also very rewarding.

How can people help BIG in its work?

K: They can volunteer at Jules Bordet, or fundraise and get the word out. They can also help by accompanying patients and relatives.

What do you think of healthcare in Belgium?

M: Thumbs up, totally. Despite the occasional long queues, the quality is generally very good. The care given to me during pregnancy was excellent.

What’s your opinion of Brussels and Belgium?

K: It’s cosmopolitan and the size is just right, compared to Bangalore which is more than the population of Belgium – it takes hours to get anywhere. And Brussels grows on you, it’s quirky.

M: The infrastructure is good: the metro, public transport. And there’s always something to do: the Brussels Summer Festival, concerts, the flower carpet. It’s culturally very good. Brussels needs to advertise itself more!

K: I like the sporty nature of people here. Most colleagues are into sport. I didn’t have that at home. Also, the quality of the people: Belgium has world experts in the smallest of niches, fantastically qualified and extremely bright people.

What are your favourite places in Brussels?

K: Sterling Books is one of my favourite bookshops, and Fnac.

M: Cook and Book also. When eating out, we really love Mamy Louise in Uccle.

Have you found it easy to get to know Belgians?

K: Yes, the locals are very welcoming and open. We have some nice friends at work and in our building who come to our place and us to theirs. But knowing exclusively English is a barrier. We know some French.

How would you describe the Indian character?

K: Maybe Indians are more flexible, more inventive with time. Indians are also exploratory and adaptable; it’s a result of the social and cultural makeup. We navigate as we go along. The mindset is distinctly different. Many top corporations are now headed by Indians: Citibank, Microsoft, Pepsi – I think this is the positive spin-off of these traits.

M: There’s a strong education system, where you compete with thousands of people. Indians have good discipline, and English skills are also an asset.

And life in India?

M: There is a vibrant, colourful, chaotic lifestyle. Every day is an experience. It’s extremely addictive! I would encourage people to look at India from another perspective. India is more than Delhi and Jaipur – go to the south, explore the west, the Himalayas, the islands – find a completely different India!

What do you miss about home?

M: Our family. And the festivals – it’s a very colourful country. And the gatherings we have around the festivals. Social, cultural or religious festivals, like Christmas here. Religion and people coexist very peacefully actually.

K: For our son we can take the best of both worlds – the culture and spirituality of his roots and the scientific temperament and discipline and the sporty approach of his new home.

The lights go out suddenly along the whole street, and we are plunged into darkness. The three Sainis are entirely unperturbed and we finish by the light of our smartphones. Adaptable indeed!

 When people think of India, they often still think of the caste system

M: Yes, certain regions of India still have it. But since 1991 when the economy started to grow, things have changed a lot – the way we think, the way we do things. A large, educated middle class was created. Urbanisation and education is the biggest antidote.

How do you think India is perceived from outside?

M: There is a perception of India as just religion, poverty and the caste system but it’s more than that, and it is changing for the better. Now I would say, people should know India for its education, its IT culture and its films too. It is a complicated and multi-layered country so it’s not surprising that people focus on central aspects; the media does also. For example – the film Slumdog Millionaire. It gives a lopsided view of the situation!

What films would you recommend for people to understand the real India?

M: Recommending just one movie won’t do India justice. But Swades or The Lunchbox to show that India is colourful, heterogeneous and complex. Gandhi for a historical perspective and Dil Chahta hai’and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for a light-hearted watch.

What does the future hold?

K: We came here for two years and we’ve stayed five. It’s getting more and more difficult to leave. We have no reason to move!

M: Belgium is like a little paradise!

 Since this interview took place, Kamal has started working as an oncology consultant to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and clinical research organisations.

 This article was first published in The Bulletin Business Guide, 2015