Punam Krishan (born 28 May 1983) is a Scottish doctor. Born in Glasgow, she took a post at a medical partnership, but left after burning out and became a locum general practitioner (GP). She has presented the BBC Scotland series Laid Bare and has appeared on Morning Live and The Weakest Link and written a Glasgow Times medical column and a children's book. She was announced as a contestant on the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing in August 2024.
Punam Krishan | |
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![]() Krishan in 2021 | |
Born | Glasgow, Scotland | 28 May 1983
Employer(s) | BBC NHS |
Television | Laid Bare Morning Live Strictly Come Dancing |
Life and career
Punam Krishan was born 28 May 1983[1] in Glasgow, and grew up in a small tenement flat with her younger sister and extended family.[2] Her parents had an arranged marriage,[3] and moved from Kapurthala in Punjab to Scotland[4] in the late 1970s,[3] where her father owned a corner shop.[2] She told Susan Swarbrick of The Herald in July 2019 that education was important to her family, with her parents taking the view that she was either going to become a "doctor, lawyer, accountant, or a failure", and that she was raised on curry and Irn-Bru.[3]
Krishan went to Hillhead Primary School, Notre Dame High School, and the University of Glasgow, where she studied medicine.[2] She took a post at a medical partnership,[5] but left in September 2017[6] after burning out, and took a post as a locum.[7] She stated in April 2018 article for Pulse Today that she had "learned the hard way to live without patient 'satisfaction'",[8] and went viral the following January after tweeting an exchange between her practice's receptionist and a racist patient.[9]
In October 2019, she began presenting Laid Bare for BBC Scotland, in which patients were given a comprehensive medical check-up and then given a dressing down by Krishan.[10] Writing that month, Swarbrick described her interrogations as "a living post-mortem".[11] During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, she wrote for the Glasgow Times each week about health and her experiences as a doctor.[12] By October 2021, she had begun making appearances on Morning Live and on BBC Radio Scotland,[13] and in June 2022,[14] she published a children's book, How to Be a Doctor and Other Life-Saving Jobs.[15] She appeared on The Weakest Link that December.[16]
In April 2024, Dorling-Kindersley commissioned Krishan to write a further two children's books intended for publication the following year; these comprised a flap board book about human anatomy, You and Your Body, and a first aid book, A Superhero's First Aid Manual.[17] In August 2024, she was announced as a contestant on the twenty-second series of BBC One's celebrity dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing.[18] Her series was the first to insist on training sessions being supervised following a string of scandals.[19]
References
- ^ "Dr Punam Krishan | Chapter 41 : Perspective". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Dr Punam Krishan: It's been an honour but it's time to part ways". Glasgow Times. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Dr Punam Krishan: The day I nearly died changed me as a doctor". The Herald. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Travel: Dr Punam Krishan on the joy of discovering her family's roots". The Herald. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "'˜Scotland's GP burnout now an epidemic', says Scots doctor". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Punam Krishan". LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Price, Caroline (23 August 2018). "New sessionals, welcome on board". Pulse Today. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Price, Caroline (17 April 2018). "I've learned the hard way to live without patient 'satisfaction'". Pulse Today. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Sarah (22 January 2019). "My patient made racist remarks about me. I decided to do something about it". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "BBC Scotland - BBC Scotland - The tough-talking GP who leaves shocked patients 'laid bare'". BBC. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Screen Shot: Glasgow GP gives 'living post-mortem' in new BBC Scotland series". The Herald. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Strictly's Dr Punam Krishan sets record straight about Glasgow GP role". Glasgow Times. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ oksana (27 October 2021). "Dr. Punam Krishan: Why infection control is important at work & home". GAMA Healthcare. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "How to Be a Doctor and Other Life-Saving Jobs". Nosy Crow. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing announces celebrity contestants". The Independent. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "'So much fun': Former Glasgow Times columnist to appear on The Weakest Link". Glasgow Times. 26 December 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "DK signs two-book deal with GP and BBC presenter Punam Krishan". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Dr Punam Krishan confirmed as fifth Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Go Compare singer Wynne Evans joins line-up". Sky News. Retrieved 8 August 2024.