Dr. Suraj Govind Kamat (61)

By: Frankie Leal

Although a longtime resident of Jim Wells County, Dr. Suraj Govind Kamat doesn’t typically read the Alice-Echo News Journal. Dr. Kamat doesn’t have any negative perceptions about the county’s last surviving newspaper, but like many other citizens of Jim Wells County, he simply harbors a casual indifference towards the Echo.

“I don’t really read the Alice-Echo, and that’s kind of sad,” said Dr. Kamat. “Sometimes I pick it up and sometimes I don’t. Really for local news I can get it on my phone anyway.”

Dr. Suraj Govind Kamat has lived in Alice, Tx since 1998 and has served the people of the community for over two decades. Prior to his arrival in Alice, the people in the community didn’t have localized access to cardiovascular care.  

“South Texas is rampant with vascular disease,” said Kamat. “I’m still the only cardiovascular doctor in Jim Wells County, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in.”

Although he lived in India until he was in his late 20’s, Dr. Kamat has made a home for himself across the world in South Texas.

“The thing I like about living here is just the people,” said Dr. Kamat. “They’re trusting and appreciative of everything. It’s like an extended family. I see generations of people and continue to take care of the same people for 25 years. Our team is part of the community, so we respond better and can provide more personalized care because we genuinely know the people we’re treating. That doesn’t happen in other places.”

Dr. Kamat is part of the population that doesn’t place too much importance on the local newspaper. He used to read it but doesn’t anymore. It’s not because he doesn’t trust the Echo or thinks they do a poor job; he just doesn’t get any value out of reading it.

“I used to at least read the obituaries, but if any patient of ours dies the office tells me anyway, so even that is not useful,” said Dr. Kamat. “But it’s the same thing for me with the Corpus Christi paper. I used to get that too, but I don’t anymore.”

Many local newspapers, the Alice-Echo included, have tried to adjust to the demand for more instant, online content. However, it hasn’t been easy. Roughly 40,000 people reside in Jim Wells County, and the Alice-Echo has had a hard time getting them to pay for online news.

“The question is would you rather spend $100 a year on that [Alice-Echo subscription] or on other content?” asked Dr. Kamat.

With local newspapers struggling to stay afloat, the Alice-Echo recently made the decision to print only twice a week instead of three.

“That’s the state of affairs for everyone,” said Dr. Kamat. “And if you have a paper that only prints twice a week and has low readership, is it really having an impact on things in the community? That’s tough to answer.”