New Delhi: In the Anglo-Mysore war of 1792, a bullock-cart driver named Cowasjee, suffered the amputation of his nose and one of his hands. To the amusement of the Britishers, in a remarkable operation, Cowasjee got his nose reconstructed. English Physicians Thomas Cruso and James Findlay witnessed this operation. This method of nose fixing was much superior to existing Europe methods then. This incident was reported in the Gentleman Magazine, a person who identified himself as ‘BL’ wrote, “This operation is not uncommon in India and has been practiced from time immemorial.”
This is considered a watershed moment in the history of plastic surgery and especially in the field of corrective rhinoplasty.
DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE HOSPITAL WHICH DID ASIA’S FIRST UPPER ARM DOUBLE HAND TRANSPLANT? OR WHAT ABOUT INDIA’S FIRST HAND TRANSPLANT?
Amrita Hospital, Kochi, created history in medical science in 2015 by carrying out India’s first-hand transplant on a 30-year-old patient, Manu T. R. Again, in April 2015, another hand transplant surgery was successfully carried out on a young Afghan soldier, Abdul Rahim.
In an attempt to diffuse a mine, Abdul Rahim lost the lower end of both his arms. Manu, a rickshaw driver saw a female passenger being harassed by a group. He bravely confronted them and was pushed out of the train. He lost both his hands during that tragic fall. Both the men needed a double Hand transplant. But it had never been done in South Asia till then.
But Amrita Hospital, run under the guidance of Mata Amritananda Mayi Devi ascended into a pioneer of compassion by making the impossible possible. Amrita Hospital made history by performing India’s first and second successful double hand transplants. And Asia’s first upper arm double hand transplant on Shreya Siddanagowda, a 19-year-old girl was also done in Amrita Hospital. Health experts from around the world closely monitored and appreciated these transplants. In 2015, British Medical Journal awarded the “Best Surgical Team of South Asia Award” to Hand Transplant Team at Amrita.
AMRITA HOSPITAL – 25 YEARS OF HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE
Founded in 1998 by Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Amrita Hospitals have made exceptional contributions in the field of Health Care. Located in Cochin, it is one of the premier hospitals in South Asia providing the highest quality medical care, with 12 super speciality departments and 45 other departments. Amrita Hospitals is also known for its charitable medical care, which has provided free treatment for more than 43.3 lakh patients, spending more than 600 crores on this to date. In the year 2016, Amrita Hospitals got the “Health Care excellence award” for Patient Safety and Medical Innovation by FICCI. During the challenging times of tsunami, Covid-19, various earthquakes and other massive disasters in the past 25 years, Amrita Health care workers were at the forefront to help the needy. During Covid-19, Amrita joined with the Kerala Government to Vaccinate People, conducted free medical camps, and launched Low-Cost PAPR Kits for Healthcare Workers. Apart from the Cochin Campus, Amrita Hospital also runs five satellite charitable hospitals-three in Kerala, one in Mysore, and one in the Andaman Islands.
HEAL IN INDIA & HEAL BY INDIA
The Union health ministry is planning to soon launch its new initiative – Heal in India and Heal by India – a project that aims at giving impetus to medical tourism and thereby, making India a hub for excellent medical treatment. The Indian government had already identified 40 countries with higher footfall, from where patients could come to India for good quality health care. During this Covid Pandemic, India distributed vaccines to 71 countries, with around 58 million doses already supplied. This humanitarian action from the Indian government towards international cooperation in vaccine distribution received widespread appreciation. This compassionate gesticulation will boost India’s aim to be a hub for generous medical care. Our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, tweeted on June 2022 that “The coming years will belong to those who have invested in healthcare. I am proud of the work our government has done to strengthen the healthcare sector in India.
Apart from the Government hospitals, private hospitals too will have to play an important role in making India a hub for Holistic health care. Amrita Hospital, Cochin is already attracting a huge number of patients from the Middle East, Africa, and other South Asian countries.
ASIA’S BIGGEST PRIVATE HOSPITAL IN DELHI-NCR
With its new branch in Faridabad, Amrita owns Asia’s biggest super-specialty Hospital. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, will inaugurate this 2600-bed hospital on 24th August 2022. Facilities are high-end in Amrita, Faridabad with minimal carbon footprint, zero wastewater discharge, and are soon to be solar-powered. According to Dr. Sanjeev K Singh, Resident Medical Director of Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, research collaboration will be given high priority.
“The hospital will have a dedicated research block spread across a seven-floor building that totals three lakh sq. ft. with exclusive Grade A to D GMP labs. There will be a focus on identifying newer diagnostic markers, AI, ML, Bioinformatics etc. We are in the process of entering into research collaborations with some of the world’s biggest names in medical science,” he added. Amrita’s transplant is highly popular. Dr Sanjeev Singh said “The comprehensive transplant program offered by the hospital will be among the biggest in the country. Amrita Hospital, Kochi has pioneered surgeries with India’s first two double hand transplants and the country’s first upper-arm double hand transplant, amongst several other procedures, and this knowledge has been carried over to Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.”
A statue of Sushruta, an Indian physician and the world’s first surgeon known as “Father of Surgery” is located at the entrance of the new hospital. It breathes India’s glorious past in the field of Medicine and the excellency of ancient Indian medical traditions that span millennia. We believe in the need to commemorate legendary physicians like Charaka, Sushruta and Jivaka and their valuable contributions. Amrita Hospital, Faridabad is planning to blend alternative medicine, especially Ayurveda, yoga, and homoeopathy, with modern medicines.
It will have 81 specialities and seven centres of excellence, including cardiac sciences, neurosciences, oncology, gastro-sciences, bone diseases & trauma, transplants, and mother & childcare. The hospital will also have India’s largest facility to cure infectious diseases. Once fully functional, this hospital will have more than 10 thousand employees and 800 doctors.
The Faridabad campus will also have a medical college and India’s biggest allied health sciences campus. When it comes to medical education, allied health and research-intensive university Amrita is already accredited with the highest possible A++ NAAC grade and is India’s 5th best-ranked university in the NIRF rankings.
In Indian tradition Bhagavan incarnated even as Dhanvantara Moorthi, we believe in the significance of medicine, treatment and keeping the body healthy. Shastras also tell that it is important to sustain the body. Throughout a long History, the Indian sages and people of India gifted humanity a profound knowledge to heal and prevent man from health Issues. Amrita Hospitals, with its new branch in Faridabad, aim to carry forward the 25-year-old legacy of holistic healthcare driven by compassion.
