NL Correspondent
Jammu, Feb 13
A South African citizen successfully underwent high-risk orthopaedic surgery at SMVD Narayana Superspeciality hospital. Shanti Singh, a South African citizen had come on a pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and was accompanied by her daughter Dr. Shivon Singh, who is herself a South Africa based Doctor (pathologist). After darshan, while going back towards Heli pad at Sanji Chhatt, Shanti Singh had a fall resulting in an injury to her thigh. She was immediately transferred to SMVD Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Katra, where after getting initial treatment, she was diagnosed to have sustained a complex fracture of femur bone that required surgery. Shanti Singh had undergone open heart surgery a couple of years back and was taking blood thinner medicines that had made her proposed surgery of fractured femur a very high-risk one. Since the duo had to board an international flight to South Africa from Mumbai after 4 days and in view of high-risk involved in the surgery, the demand was made to shift the patient to another private hospital in Mumbai for which Dr. Shivon wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Ministry too. In the meantime, Dr. Vikas Padha working as Senior Consultant Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement attended to the patient and explained to them the surgical treatment planned and apprised them about the world class facilities that were available, after which they decided to undergo surgery at SMVD Narayana Superspeciality hospitalitself. The blood thinner medicines were stopped immediately to decrease the risk during surgery and surgery was performed after a gap of 72 hours. Dr. Vikas Padha, said, “The latest minimally invasive technique was used with the help of state-of-the-art equipment available in the Department of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement to perform the surgery”. “We are extremely happy to have helped the patient get back on her feet, in time for the flight back home to South Africa”, added Dr. Padha. Shanti Singh was made to stand and walk with the help of walker by the dedicated physiotherapy team on the first post-operative day. Such was the speed of recovery that Singh was found fit to travel to Mumbai the very next day after surgery and they could board the scheduled flight to South Africa well in time. In an e-mail received by Dr. Vikas Padha, the daughter of patient Dr. Shivon Singh conveyed that Shanti Singh reached South Africa without any problem during travel and further informed that the Doctors in South Africa appreciated the timely treatmentprovided.
She wholeheartedly thanked the staff and management of SMVD Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Shrine Board for helping them out. Brig Dr. MM Harjai, CEO SMVD Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Katra, said that the treatment of Shanti Singh was fully financed by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board as per the policy of Shrine Board to bear expenses of treatment for pilgrims who sustain injuries during the Yatra.
