Ahmedabad, Gujarat | 2025
In clinics across Gujarat, a silent struggle is unfolding. People from all walks of life—working professionals, homemakers, senior citizens, even teenagers—are quietly dealing with the challenges of Overactive Bladder (OAB) and urinary incontinence, often without ever speaking about it or seeking help.
Dr. Dushyant Pawar, a renowned urologist at Shivanta Multispeciality Hospital in Ahmedabad, has been treating patients with bladder issues for years—but he says the silence around this issue is only getting louder. “We see patients coming in late—after suffering for months, even years. They think bladder problems are either too embarrassing or too trivial to talk about. But this silence is costing Gujarat its health and dignity.”
Dr. Pawar is now stepping forward to change the narrative.
According to him, OAB and urinary incontinence are no longer problems limited to the elderly. “I’m seeing younger and more active individuals walk in—women in their 30s, professionals in high-stress jobs, diabetics, obese patients—all experiencing bladder urgency, frequency, or leakage. And most of them think it’s just something they have to live with. It’s not.”
The bigger problem, he says, is not medical—it’s cultural. “In Gujarat, we’re open about diabetes, blood pressure, even mental health now. But bladder issues? People won’t even talk to their spouses or doctors. They simply adjust—drink less water, avoid social outings, or silently change careers.”
Dr. Pawar’s message is simple: OAB is real, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of.
From non-invasive therapies to medication and behavioral techniques, help is available. But awareness is the first step.
He is now calling on fellow healthcare providers, especially general physicians and gynecologists, to start asking the right questions. “If we wait for patients to bring it up, we may wait forever. We have to lead the conversation. Because when caught early, bladder issues are very manageable.”
As Gujarat’s population ages and lifestyle diseases rise, OAB is expected to become increasingly common. Dr. Pawar believes this is the right time to build an ecosystem of awareness, timely diagnosis, and integrated urological care.
“Let’s make bladder health part of routine health. Let’s train our ears to hear the unspoken discomfort. And most importantly—let’s talk,” he says.
Because in Gujarat, health shouldn’t be silent.