A sharp and intelligent child since childhood, Dr. Hemlata comes from a learned family in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. So it came as no surprise when she stood amongst the top five students in the school board examination. She went ahead to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor by scoring impressively and was eligible for the seat for MBBS, but fate had different plans for Dr. Hemlata. She had to choose the field of homeopathy and pursue education at Venutai Homeopathy Medical College, where she was a bright star too. She was also famous for her style sense during her time as a student.
In 1998, after completing her degree, she opened her own clinic. Her command over her job and a touch of empathy gave her immense fame, and she became favourite among her patients. Back then, she had 2 OPD setups providing efficient medical care to all patients. Many women who were fond of her style gave her the label of “Benazir Bhutto”.
In 2001, she married Dr. Bharat Kotkar, an orthopedic surgeon. Soon after, they established a fully-fledged 20-bed hospital in Kolhapur. Although fully engaged in her new role at the hospital, she catered to the needs of her old patients, most of which could not afford quality medical services. And this proved to be the backbone of their new hospital. She gave birth to a beautiful daughter in 2002 and a handsome son in 2007 - Nupur and Yashraj.
Being a full-time mother of two growing children along with handling the hospital was a tough job. Despite the stress and struggle, Dr. Hemlata knew that she needed to be a multi-tasker, that too with grace. She took on the entire administrative work of the hospital along with her private practice and encouraged her husband to concentrate more on the operative position. Gradually, the tone was set, and things started running smoothly. As the kids grew older, she had more free time on her hands. But she was not satisfied with what she had. Days of introspection made her realize that she was not content and happy and had not done justice to the immense talent that she had.
A routine rounds session gave her the inspiration to start something new at the age of 36. She did her post graduation in Dietetics and Nutrition in the year 2014 from a full-time university . Being the bright student that she always was, she cleared all her examinations with distinction. Her husband and her kids were incredibly supportive of her throughout that phase. The following year, she also pursued postgraduation in yoga and emerged as a gold medalist in the university. Later, she also took up a course from Canada. After attaining it all, she altogether started a new role as a ‘Clinical Nutritionist, Dietician, Yoga, and Fitness Advisor.’
Her approach to treating patients has always been innovative and absolutely customized to provide the best care in a patient-friendly manner. She has clients from all walks of life and has been a new ray of hope for many patients dealing with problems like diabetes, hypertension, and renal failure, among many others. Her philosophy is ‘Food is the Best Healer.’
Along with help and support from her husband, she also supports various philanthropy activities by NGOs to help sports personalities and orphans. She was felicitated by Sindhutai Sakpal - Maai and was awarded ‘Mahila Ratn Puraskar’ in 2018 for her exceptional contributions to society.
During the pandemic situation, she also worked online for many companies in the IT sector. Besides being a dietary advisor, she is also an outstanding counselor, a good cook, and has a passion for traveling. Furthermore, being a (super)woman, she is an excellent partner to her husband, an ideal mother to her children, who she has raised just right, a daughter of proud parents, and an ideal for all the women who want to achieve so much in their lives. For a daily dose of inspiration , from the life of Dr Hemlata, follow her on :
facebook.com/hemlata.kotkar
instagram.com/drhemakotkar
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