Mumbai surgeon comes to rescue of pellet-hit

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 23

Renowned retina surgeon from Mumbai Dr S Natrajan is back in the Valley to perform more vitrectomies (retina surgeries) on victims hit by pellets in eyes. By Tuesday afternoon, his second day in Kashmir, Dr Natrajan and his team, including doctors from Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, had performed 28 retina surgeries.

A Pune-based organisation, Borderless World Foundation, is credited with bringing Dr Natrajan and other leading eye specialists to Kashmir for the treatment of victims injured by pellets in eyes.

Senior Programme Officer, Borderless World Foundation, Haris Abrar said: “When the unrest started in the Valley and scores of victims with pellet injuries in eyes were brought to SMHS Hospital following the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, the NGO first thought of taking the most severe victims out of the Valley for treatment, but later decided to bring expert surgeons from various parts of the country to the Valley to save the patients and their attendants from the hassles of travel.”

In an affidavit before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court last week, the state government said 443 pellet injury patients were admitted and treated at the Ophthalmology Department of SMHS Hospital from July 9 to August 15.

“After extensive consultations with senior doctors at SMHS Hospital, out organisation finally roped in Dr Natrajan and his team, who promised to render his services to the pellet victims free of cost,” Abrar said.

Dr Natrajan and his team of doctors first landed in Kashmir on July 26 and performed over 46 vitrectomies during his four-day stay. Though Natrajan left on July 29, two doctors from his team stayed back till July 31 to perform more specialised surgeries on pellet victims.

On August 26, the organisation facilitated the visit of another leading retina surgeon Dr Mahesh to Kashmir. He performed 25 vitrectomies.

Though Dr Natrajan has offered to operate the pellet-hit patients free of cost, his travel and other expenses are being sponsored by the Pune-based organisation, while the lodging in Srinagar is being provided by the state government.

“On Monday, Dr S Natrajan, who is being assisted by Dr Tariq, performed 24 surgeries at SMHS. By Tuesday evening, he had already performed 12 surgeries,” said Rishikesh from Borderless World Foundation, who coordinates with the pellet victims at SMHS who need vitrectomies.