Rural surgery in India - Battling against odds

Rural surgery in India - Battling against odds: "Speakers who followed proved that rural surgery was not an easy game; nor was it the last resort of the unsuccessful. A rural surgeon had to battle against enormous odds. He trained his own nurses, paramedics, and junior doctors; he worked in operating theatres where lights were faulty, facilities minimal and air-conditioning a distant dream; he bought his own equipment and struggled to maintain them. The rural surgeon spends precious time, energy and money because of indifferent suppliers. Then there is electricity, water, oxygen, drugs. Money. What about the family? Kids? Education and entertainment?

Dr. Shrikande of Mumbai, in his guest lecture titled 'Excellence in Surgery' reinforced the time-honoured dictum of simplicity. The surgeon's duty to the patient is to improve the quality of life. Only that. She/he must question him/herself constantly and not be afraid to change when change is necessary. He was critical of the over-dependence on scans and x-rays and the diminishing strength of clinical acumen among doctors. The essence of surgical leadership, he said, is a combination of courage, skill, experience, knowledge — and humanism.

This is a much-needed brush with reality. It's great to talk about medical tourism - but we also need to set our own house in order ! "