Rebirth for kids with congenital anomalies

Nagpur: Samir Khiratkar, 15, from Ramtek used to look abnormal due to the S-shape curve in his spine. Suffering from scoliosis, Samir could not stand or walk normally till 2015. His mother Kalavati, who works as daily wager in a factory, could not afford any treatment for him and the boy had to suffer this medical condition for over 13 years.
On Monday, when he was called to express his thoughts on stage at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) hall, Samir stood up tall and walked straight. “Two years ago, a surgery was performed on me here. Today, I feel like I am really growing taller. I go to school confidently and feel positive,” said Samir who will appear in SSC examination this year.

“It was life changing moment for our family. We came here today to thank doctors coming from Germany who operated my son,” said his mother. She literally broke down while interacting with a senior nurse who was a part of the team that had performed surgery on Samir in 2017.

They were at the Bal Shalyakriya Mission (paediatric surgery mission), a six-day surgery camp coordinated by US-based Charity group Peedh Parai International and Balmitra Foundation in Nagpur. The camp, into its six year, began at GMCH on Monday.

A 12-member team of expert paediatric surgeons from Germany, Switzerland and USA performed 18 specialized surgeries on the first day. Their target is to complete at least 75 surgeries by Saturday.

“We come to India every year for a week and offer services to kids suffering from congenital anomalies. We perform complicated surgeries on rare anomalies. Our team includes surgeons, anaesthesiologists, intensivists, specialist physicians, physician assistants, nurses and support personnel,” said Dr David Antekier who is paediatric orthopaedic specialist.

Interestingly, chairman and founder of this organization, Dr Ashwin Pimpalwar, is from Nagpur. He is paediatric surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. “Being GMCH alumni, I always wanted to do something here for my people. Unfortunately, many people in rural Vidarbha are not even aware that congenital anomalies can be treated with simple surgeries. Many kids live with the abnormality for years together. We screen such complicated cases through Balmitra Foundation and treat them for free,” he said.

Balmitra Foundation is also run by a Nagpurian Dr Rajendra Saoji.

On Wednesday, doctors are going to perform a surgery on a toddler for a very rare lung-related disorder.