Lions Club's free plastic surgery camp from Sept 13

Aurangabad, Sept 6:

The 46th free plastic surgery camp organised by Lions Club of Aurangabad Chikalthana in the memory of Late Padamshri Dr Sharadkumar Dicksheet will be held between September 13 and 17. The Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM) and the Aurangabad Druggists and Chemists Association (ADCA) are the co-organisers of the camp.

Briefing the press, Lions Club president Vijay Agrawal said the camp is organized every year in the memory of Dr Dicksheet. Earlier, Dr Dicksheet himself used to perform plastic surgeries on the patients. But after his demise, his associate Dr Raj Lala and his team assisted by project chairman Dr Pravin Suryawanshi and project vice chairperson Dr Ujwala Dahiphale and their team. Every year, the camp is organized in December, but this year, the camp is organized in September due to the pre-engaged schedule of Dr Lala, Agrawal said.

Dr Pravin Suryawanshi said, in the camp the surgeries on cleft lips, heavy eyelid, squint eye, face scars, facial deformities, burn marks and other deformities. Around 1000 to 1200 patients are screened every year, of which, around 500 are selected. The surgeries are done in MGM Medical College and Hospital.

Dr Dahiphale said, the surgeries are conducted free of cost and the medicines are also provided free of cost to the patients. After the surgeries, post-surgery advice and treatment is also given. There has been enormous advancement in the field of plastic surgery, those patients who cannot be treated in the camp live the over-burn patients are given medical advice and treatment through the government scheme in the super-speciality hospitals, she said.

Project vice chairman Kalyan Waghmare said, the camp is being organized for the past 45 years and until now 13,436 surgeries have been done in the camp. Patients not only from Marathwada region, but also from Khandesh and Vidharbha take advantage of this opportunity. The medicine is provided to the patients by Aurangabad Chemist and Druggist Association. The camp is conducted through various committees (like planning, medicine, post-operation, registration, food etc) comprising Lions members. The union minister of state for finance (MoS) Dr Bhagwat Karad, Lokmat’s Editor-in-Chief Rajendra Darda, Ln Arvind Machhar and Ln Bimalkumar Tibdiwala have been appointed as advisors on various committees.

Pankaj Agrawal, Rajesh Bharuka Ravi Karwande, Rajendra Lohiya, Suresh Bafna and others were present during the press meet.

Registration at Lions eye Hospital

Patients will have to register for the camp first. The registration will done after the inauguration of the camp at Lions Eye Hospital, N-1, Cidco on September 13 between 9 am and 4 pm. Around 1,500 registered patients will be screened and of which around 500 patients will be selected for surgeries. The surgeries will be held between September 14 and 17 at MGM Medical College and Hospital.