IPRAS

IPRAS (Asia-Pacific Section) organizeda free Plastic Surgery Campat the Dr. Rajindra Prashad GovernmentMedical College of Kangra,at Tanda (Himachal Pradesh) Indiafrom 21st to 28th (31st)August 2011.The ConceptIt was during the visit of Dr. Rajeev B. Ahuja, to inspectthe newly introduced burn unit at the Tanda MedicalCollege, on behalf of the Government of India, thatthe idea of having a surgical camp at this location wasmutually discussed between him and the Principal, Prof.Anil Chauhan. The Principal showed enthusiasm for afree Plastic Surgery camp, as the area has a lot of poorpatients requiring Plastic Surgery and such facilities arenot available in the region, including the college.The LocationThe historical town of Kangra nestles in the valleyof Himachal Pradesh. For the believers it is a place ofpilgrimage, devoted to the Goddess Parvati, the consortof Lord Shiva. Over the years it has seen numerousinvasions, a grim reminder of its strength being the KangraFort, which sits atop a steep 1000-foot cliff, rising like aphoenix from the river bed. Kangra is derived from word“Kanghara” which means “doctors who repair ears”. Asper hearsay, in ancient times, this town was famous for itsPlastic Surgeons. The RPG Medical College is a fledglingCollege, which has only recently introduced post-graduatecourses. The College is a boon for the city and thesurrounding areas, which have scarce health care.The PlanningDr. Ahuja requested Dr. Chanjiv Singh (Chairman,Humanitarian Committee, IPRAS) from Jalandhar to visitthe college and issue a feasibility report. Dr. Chanjiv visitedthe college in June 2011. He assessed the patient loadand the facilities available for the venture. The Principaldeputed Prof. Sanjeev Sharma (General Surgery) to coordinatethe planning of this camp with Dr. Chanjiv.Dr. Ahuja, as Secretary General of IPRAS (Asia-PacificSection), invited senior surgeons from the Asia- Pacificregion to volunteer for this humanitarian mission. As thiswas the first mission of its kind in the area and the Hospitalis a governmental facility, the organizers went through alot of red tape to make arrangements for the camp.The team co-ordinated with the Lions Club of the nearbytown of Dharamshala to publicize the event and toaccomodate the visiting team. The Lions Club did extremelywell in sending out information to district hospitals in theregion, and publicized the camp to the public throughbanners and posters. Their efforts landed an overwhelmingnumber of patients for surgery at the camp.Dr.Chanjiv Singh visited the college again in July tooversee the boarding and lodging arrangements, to coordinatewith the hospital authorities for the provisionof supplies, to discuss with the anaesthetists and to coordinatewith the Lions Club.The TeamsThe Indian team, lead by Dr. Rajeev B. Ahuja, comprisedof other senior Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Vimla Rajan, fromNew Delhi and Dr. Chanjiv Singh from Jalandhar. Seniorresidents from Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi (Dr.Dhirendra Suman, Dr Vinish Shrivastava, Dr ManishChopra); DMC & Hospital, Ludhiana (Dr. ManishSehgal); Amandeep Hospital, Amritsar (Dr. SeemaMittal, Dr.Sandeep Kansal); and PGIMER, Chandigarh(Dr. Anil Kumar, Dr.Raja Tiwari) had volunteered forthe camp through their respective Heads of Department.OT assistants Mr. Harpreet, Mr. Gurnam Singh and Mr.Vikramjit Singh volunteered from DMC Ludhiana, Civilhospital, Jalandhar and Amandeep Hospital, Amritsar,respectively. The staff of the College itself workedaround the clock, beyond their duty time to assist in thecamp.The team from Thailand was headed by Prof. ApiragChuangsuwanich from Mahidol University, the Presidentof the Association of Plastic Surgeons of Thailand. Theteam consisted of a Plastic surgeon, an Anaesthesiologist,an OT assistant, nurses and volunteers and included32 IPRAS Journal www.ipras.org Issue 7