Docs to visit schools, give free advice on surgery

The Delhi chapter of the Indian Association of Paediatric Surgeons will hold an awareness week on surgeries commonly needed among children.

Surgeons will visit schools and give free advice in hospitals during the ‘paediatric surgery awareness week’ to be observed from September 6 to 11.

“This is the first time that we are holding this event in India. Paediatric surgery is applicable from newborns to 18-year-old persons,” said Dr Shilpa
Sharma, assistant professor and paediatric surgeon at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

She said other than disorders that children suffer since birth, Delhi has a high rate of worm infection in intestine as well as tuberculosis of intestine and chest.

Wash hands

“We do not have a culture of washing hands before eating. Thus, there is high worm infestation. We conduct surgeries to take out worms,” said Dr Sharma.

Doctor said there have been cases when a child had 100-odd worms creating obstruction in the intestine.

“We have to open the abdomen to remove these worms. There are times when one-metre-long worms have to be vomited out or surgically removed,” she said.

The doctors will visit schools in the Capital to educate children about precautions to be taken to avoid surgeries.

Government hospitals’ paediatric outpatient departments will also conduct educational programmes.

Many private hospitals have been taken on board by the association to provide free services during the week.

“Sunder Lal Jain, Jaipur Golden, Sir Ganga Ram, Fortis (Shalimar Bagh) and Maharaja Agrasen are the hospitals where consultations will be given free of cost to children during the week.

We are expecting more hospitals to join,” said Dr Sharma.