Our Reporter
Dimapur, Sep. 10 (EMN): The first laparoscopic surgery workshop was held at Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) on Saturday, where surgeries were performed on eight patients for free by five doctors from Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI) and North East Chapter of Association Surgeons of India (NECASI).
The workshop was held in association with NECASI and AMASI at CIHSR, while equipment and materials for the surgery were provided by Health Care Industries.
The five doctors who performed the surgeries were Dr. Jugindra Sorokhaibam, Dr. Elbert Khiangte, Dr. Manoj Choudhaury, and Dr. Sameer Rege from AMASI, and Dr. Jayanta Das from NECASI.
The surgeries for laparoscopy (LAP) TAPP/TEP, LAP ventral hernia repair, LAP appendectomy, LAP CBD exploration, LAP Cystogastrostomy, LAP Cholecystectomy, LAP Gastrojejunostomy and LAP Ureterolithotomy were performed and telecast live during the workshop.
Dr. Temsula Alinger informed that the programme was initiated for surgeons to continue improving their skills after a long period of inactivity due to the pandemic. She also shared that NECASI consists of surgeons from five states -- Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Director of CIHSR, Dr. Sedevi said that laparoscopic surgery is one of the skills which every surgeon wants to acquire but does not get the chance to learn in medical colleges. He said that ‘things in medical colleges have become so specialised that most of the general surgeons do not know much’.
He, therefore, expressed hope that AMASI could lobby for better laparoscopic training in medical colleges.
Dr. Jugindra Sorokhaibam said that the Northeast region is performing well in laparoscopic surgery but ‘we have to move forward and take the lead in terms of skills and knowledge in this field and try to bring in the south-east Asian countries like Myanmar and beyond’.
Further, he asserted that laparoscopic surgery is beneficial for the poor, adding that their intention is to teach surgeons practicing in the rural areas by organising camps in the villages.