Mukesh Chandra Haikerwal
Mukesh Chandra Haikerwal AC (born 28 December 1960) is a British-Australian medical doctor practicing in Melbourne. From 2005 to 2007, he was the Federal President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), and in 2011 became a Companion of the Order of Australia.
Through his involvement in several not-for-profit organizations, Haikerwal is a strong advocate for better working conditions for medical staff. Early in 2020, Haikerwal coordinated and led ongoing lobbying for the provision of adequate supplies of protective equipment for those dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early life and education
The child of Indian-born British citizens who was working for the UN in Nigeria, Haikerwal, born in Lucknow, India, was sent to a London boarding school at the age of six.
In 1981, the year he started medical school in the English city of Leicester, his mother left for Australia to join his father who had migrated the year before. In 1990, Haikerwal, by then married, arrived in Melbourne and set up the Altona North Medical Practice where he still works.
Personal life
Haikerwal is married to Karyn Alexander, who is also a doctor and they have three sons Ajaya, Suresh, and Jeevan.
On 27 September 2008, Haikerwal was assaulted and robbed by five men near Dennis Reserve in Williamstown, Victoria. Haikerwal sustained serious head injuries in the attack, and was in a coma for 24 hours, remaining in the hospital for two months. Mr. Maikerwal recalls trying to reason with the youths who assaulted him but has no memory of the actual blow to the head.
However, he quickly realized the potential of a bleed in his brain and managed to call his wife, and with the assistance of a nearby police officer and his brother Dr. Deepak Haikerwal, a cardiologist, was able to get to the hospital.
He underwent emergency brain surgery to remove two blood clots from his brain and suffered an injury that required him to learn how to walk and talk again. When one of the attackers was not deported to his home country, Haikerwal said he supported the decision in principle but expressed some concerns about whether victims' interests were being carefully considered in these cases.
