Hiranandani Hospital Doctor Performs 12 knee Replacement Surgeries in Seychelles

Dr Vijay Shetty, Consultant Orthopaedist, Hiranandani Hospital recently performed 12 knee replacement surgeries in Seychelles free of charge. Besides performing 12 knee surgeries, he also performed the first bilateral (surgery on both knees) knee replacement surgery in the history of Seychelles. The Republic of Seychelles spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, has a population of roughly one lakh. However, there is no dedicated hospital or centre where knee surgeries can be performed. As a result, the population relies on visiting surgeons and doctors for treatment.

“Last year, I met a patient, Surya Khanna, who had lived in Seychelles for the past 30 years and was visiting India, when he met with an accident. While he was under treatment, he spoke to me about health problems in his country and on going back, even wrote to me asking if I would visit Seychelles to perform knee surgery,” recalled Dr Shetty. Khanna, who runs an NGO called Jeo Jyoti Foundation in Seychelles managed to arrange for permissions from the government for the doctor’s visit.

It was by no means an easy task, considering the orthopaedist would require permission from the customs authority to carry heavy equipment including artificial knee implants in various sizes, train the staff at the hospital in Seychelles, select patients who fit the criteria for surgery, among other things. “However, we communicated directly with Victoria Hospital, the largest hospital in Seychelles, which incidentally houses the Ministry of Health as well,” explained Dr Shetty.

“The surgeries went off without a glitch. After training the hospital staff, to ready the operation theatre and to assist in the surgery, I managed to perform five knee surgeries on day one, an unprecedented event in Seychelles,” said Dr Shetty.

EH News Bureau