Small cuts, faster healing
After completing his MBBS and MS programmes from Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (formerly King George Medical College), Lucknow, Dr Anshuman Agarwal became fascinated by minimally invasive techniques practiced by surgeons in the urology department. A speciality surgical field, urology deals with disorders of the urinary tract (males and females) and the reproductive system of males. Dr Agarwal learnt the intricacies of this surgical branch while working at KGMC’s urology department for two years as a general surgeon.
One, however, must be a registered urologist to handle complex surgical cases and transplants. For that an MCh (Master of Chirurgical), a super specialty degree, is mandatory after MS.
“Urologists cater to patients of all age groups as anyone could suffer from the problem of stones (in the gallbladder). The problems are so acute and in such huge numbers that the limited number of urologists (total number of practicing urologists in India is 1900) is not sufficient,” says Dr Agarwal, who now works with Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
Urology has various sub-specialties, such as paediatric urology (related to urological problems in children), andrology (related to the male reproductive system), endourology (which deals with minimallyly invasive or closed surgical procedures), neurourology (related to nervous system), among others.
Dr Agarwal’s sub-speciality is endourology and he believes this can work wonders for patients in a very short span of time. “A patient comes to you crying in pain and within four hours, he could go back happy without stitches or cuts on his body. This is possible only because of the minimally invasive techniques (MITs).” For the uninitiated, MITs are surgical procedures in which small incisions are made on the body. Narrow tubes are then inserted through these cuts into the abdominal wall. Instruments can be slid through to perform surgical procedures. “One of the breakthroughs in urology is minimally invasive surgery. This includes laparoscopic surgery (performed on the abdomen or pelvis) and robot-assisted laparoscopy. It minimises the trauma of access to internal organs and helps avoid many post-surgical complications,” says Dr Kim Mammen, secretary, Urological Society of India.
While the scope for urology is immense, the journey to becoming a successful urologist is tough. “Being a super specialist is like reaching the zenith of a pyramid. Just as in Bollywood, where only one or two actors become stars, in surgery too only a handful qualify to become urologists. In a city like Delhi, there are at the most a hundred qualified urologists and in towns like Kanpur, there are barely two or three practitioners,” says Dr Manu Gupta, a urologist at New Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Those wanting to specialise in this field will have to work with a senior urologist for a year or two before going in for an MCh. This makes it easier to clear the entrance test.
Author: Vimal Chander Joshi
Date: 3rd Feb., 2010
For further details about related courses and college please click below:
Related courses and Colleges
