BMO Pampore, BMO Pampore thank DHSK for providing plastic surgeon; facility will benefit local people: RMO

PAMPORE: A “first-ever” microplastic surgery procedure was done at Sub District Hospital Pampore in this south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Block Medical Officer (BMO) Pampore Dr Asima Nazir thanked the Director Health Services Kashmir for keeping the services of a plastic surgeon available to them when they need him.

Officials from SDH Pampore told Kashmir Reader that a 24-year young male from the Kakapora area of Medical block Pampore presented to Sub District Hospital Pampore with amputation of the right index and middle finger due to a crush injury by a bike chain. The amputated parts were severely crushed and not bought along.

“To preserve the length of fingers, the fingers were reconstructed by digital artery and nerve-based neurovascular flaps, elevated under magnification,” the officials said, adding that this is a super micro plastic surgery procedure done to give a sensate and glabrous skin cover to fingertips and was done by Dr Abid Saleem, Plastic surgeon; Dr Sharief, orthopedic surgeon; Dr Ulfat and Ab Hamid, anesthetist, Nisar Ahmad OT technologist and Theatre Technician Abdul Gani.

Taking to Kashmir Reader, RMO Dr Bilal Ahmad Bhat said that around 10 patients were listed for surgery at Sub District Hospital Pampore on Friday among which one required plastic surgery.

“Microplastic surgery is not done at SDH or DH level at this time due to paucity of plastic surgeons,” he said, adding that they are thankful to Director Health Services Kashmir for making a plastic surgeon, Dr Abid Saleem, available at Sub District Hospital Pampore for this surgery. He said Dr Shareef-Ud-Din, Orthopaedic Surgeon and others assisted him in the surgery.

He said this is the first such surgery done at the SDH Pampore level and the facility will benefit people in the area because they had to visit SKIMS for such surgeries.

Dr Shareef-Ud-Din said that after the patient visited SDH Pampore he brought it to the notice of BMO Pampore and she then requested DHSK for making a plastic surgeon available for his surgery.

Dr Abid Saleem said that he has conducted such surgeries outside Jammu & Kashmir many times. “At Sub District Hospital level, it was done for the first time in Kashmir,” he said, adding that the patient is doing better and has been discharged from the hospital.

“We were able to preserve the length of amputated fingers of the patient so that he faces no abnormalities in performing various activities. The surgery was completed in three hours,” he said.

BILAL HABIB