By Vivek Chandigarh, June 13, 2011: To commemorate its 10th anniversary, the flagship hospital of Fortis at Mohali organized a special ‘Friends of Fortis’ program at Hotel Shivalikview, in which more than 350 former patients were invited, many of them were amongst the first to get treated at the hospital. The first patient to register at Fortis Mohali, Mr. B S Devgun, a resident of Sector 43, Chandigarh, was specially honoured at the program. Fortis Hospital has been holding ‘Friends of Fortis’ meets regularly to provide former patients a platform to interact with their doctors informally and learn about the advancements in their area of treatment. In a gala morning full of fun and entertainment, the patients came forward to express their heartfelt gratitude to the doctors and surgeons who had treated them over the past decade. In a token of appreciation, some patients and associations of the tri-city gave small mementos to the medical fraternity of Fortis Hospital, Mohali. Amongst those present were Dr T S Mahant, Executive Director, Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgery, Dr G S Kalra, Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, Dr Jagmohan Varma, Director, Cardiology, Dr R K Jaswal, Director, Cardiology, Dr H K Bali, Director, Cardiology, Dr Manu Wadhwa, Director and Head, Dept. of Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement, Dr A S Bawa, Director, Urology, Dr V K Khosla, Head of Department – Neurosurgery, Dr J D Wig, Director, General Surgery and Dr Arvind Sahni, Director, Gastroenterology as well as other senior consultants. Also present on the occasion were Mr Ashish Bhatia, Regional Director, Fortis Healthcare Ltd. and Col Harinder S Chehal, Zonal Director, Fortis Healthcare Ltd. An enchanting musical Sitar Vaadan performance by Partha Sen and Tavneet Singh, students of Prachin Kala Kendra enthralled the audience. Mrs Taran Gujral recited a poem (nazam) titled ‘Makri’ and then gave a melodious ghazal performance. Mrs Gujral had undergone a knee replacement surgery in 2010 at Fortis. Famous Punjabi comedians from Jalandhar, Santa and Banta, who had undergone heart surgeries in 2002 at Fortis, were special invitees for the program. The audience was in splits after seeing their hilarious performance. The lively and colorful bhangra performance by 20 senior citizen patients captivated the audience and many from the audience joined in to celebrate the event. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ashish Bhatia, Regional Director, Fortis Healthcare Ltd., said, “On June 28, 2011, Fortis Hospital Mohali will celebrate its 10th anniversary. This is a proud moment for all of us being a part of the organization and an opportunity for us to reflect, rejoice and recapture the moments that have led to this landmark occasion. The journey has been memorable and educative for us as we grew from a flagship first into a noteworthy hub of medical excellence in North India.” Thanking the patients for their efforts in putting forth this program, Col Harinder S. Chehal, Zonal Director, Fortis Healthcare Ltd., said “Our greatest strength from the very beginning has been an excellent relationship with our patients as well as social organizations of tricity. Needless to say, their contribution has been invaluable in this journey. We are fortunate to share our special moments, as we celebrate a well travelled 10 year passage, in the presence of our very special “Friends of Fortis.” Patients from various associations, such as Rotary Club of Chandigarh, House Owners Welfare Association, Sector 10, Panchkula, Railway Senior Citizens Welfare Society, Senior Citizens Council, Sector 38, Chandigarh, Ex NFL Employees Welfare Association, Association of Retired Officers of Audit and Accounts Department, West End Welfare Society, sector 71, Mohali, Senior Citizens Welfare Association, Manimajra, SBI Pensioners Association (Chandigarh Circle),Coordination Committee of Central Govt Pensioners Association, Mohali, Senior Citizens association, Women and Child Welfare Association, Citizen Awareness Group, Residents Welfare Society, Phase 7, Mohali, Punjabi Cultural and Welfare Society, Phase 7, Mohali, Chandigarh Senior Citizens Association, and Bharat Vikas Parishad also expressed