6-day surgical camp to correct defects in 100 kids

NAGPUR: The NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences (NKPIMS) and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital (LMH) will be organizing a six-day surgical camp from February 1 to 6 wherein a hundred children, born with various types of defect, will be operated upon. The surgeries will be done free of cost by a team of 32 doctors from USA, UK and Germany.
This unique initiative is a brain child of Dr Amol Deshmukh (HERD foundation) and is being jointly organized by the Balmitra Foundation (BMF), GSB Sabha and Peed Parai International (PPI), a US-based NGO.The surgeries will be performed under a project called as Bal Shalyakriya Mission (BSM-2016). The camp will be formally inaugurated on Sunday by Dr Prakash and Mandakini Amte from the LOK Biradari Prakalp, Hemalkasa in presence of Ranjeet Deshmukh, chairman Vidya Shikshan Prasarak Mandal (VSPM) — which runs the college — and Dr Kishor Taori, chairman of Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), at 3.30pm on the college premises.
Speaking to reporters about the camp Dr Rajendra Saoji, patron BMF, said that it is for the first time that so many foreign doctors, including those from Indian origin, will be conducting operations on children with various congenital (birth) defects or deformities.
These 100 children were shortlisted after screening 300 children from across various parts of Vidarbha, adjoining districts of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in last six months. The defects in children include holes in diaphragm, blocked bile ducts, swelling on kidney, crooked backbone, urological problems like genitalia located at wrong places, children with different defects of thorax, orthopaedic, general, plastic, ENT or parts of digestive system. Major surgeries include 35 urology problems, 25 digestive system problems, 6 crooked backbone problems. Patients with crooked backbone can’t sit or stand normally.
“All the surgeons will be travelling on their own expense and staying too on their own. Some doctors are bringing in certain expensive implants needed for surgeries free of cost. Dr Ashish Pipalwar — from Texas Children Hospital in Houston who originally hails from Nagpur of PPI — is coordinating the project,” said Dr Saoji.
PPI is a voluntary group of medical professionals in USA who wish to serve and provide free surgical treatment to underprivileged children of developing countries.
Madhur Maheshwari, BMF, Prasanna Gururaj (PPI), Dr Kajal Mitra, dean NKPSIMS, Dr Manisha Albal, associate professor, paediatric surgery, Jitendra Nayak, GSB Sabha, Dr Milind Bhrushundi, Medical Superintendent (LMH), Dr Subha Gade shared their views on the occasion.