Paediatric Surgery is a Spiritual Journey of Correcting malformations: When Gods could not complete their creation

Theme 2025: Paediatric Surgeon for Birth Defects: Reducing IMR is the road towards developed Nation

Newborns having congenital malformations (especially female child) are the ones who may be less cared by the family members (society). Sometime back they were considered akin to waste and worthless for the society. But this notion and narrative of the past, which was prevailing among many sections of the society, even among the medical fraternity has been quashed by the untiring efforts of the paediatric surgery community.

There are many examples where the newborn with congenital malformation could be saved with unrelenting efforts of paediatric surgeon. I am sharing a few:

Esophageal Artesia is a condition where the esophagus is not completely formed and with the result the baby can’t feed and would die if not operated early by a Paediatric Surgeon. These babies require major surgeries where there are neonatal critical care facilities. Parents and attendants of these babies, especially females when counseled are sometimes reluctant to get the baby operated due to conglomeration of factors e.g. low socioeconomic status, lack of both IEC and empathy. One such female newborn presented with similar condition few years back. The poor parents initially were undecided and refused surgery, but our motivated team made all efforts in explaining and counseling them and finally they agreed after half an hour. The girl is now in fifth standard and doing very well in studies.

Few years back got a call from a Paediatric medicine doctor from associated government hospital for managing a female neonate with a lung tumor (CPAM). The female baby was earlier managed by my junior colleague for a life threatening pneumothorax with a short procedure. He told me that the baby’s parents had refused treatment for the girl child as they did not want the child to live. They wanted to take the child to their home. Chacha (uncle) of the child revealed that both parents were drug addicts and father did not have that sensitivity for the baby. My junior colleague had to work hard to counsel them. The child was operated (Thoracotomy with excision of the tumor) and with grace of God, had favorable outcomes and was discharged. The female baby was doing well thereafter. The female child survived against thousands of odds and untiring efforts of our team of doctors and paramedical staff of twin hospitals.

Paediatric Surgeons are at the forefront of “Beti Bachao Abhiyan”, when it is a female newborn with birth defects. Paediatric surgeons are serving the children and the society by correcting malformations. When Gods could not complete their creation, then it is a Paediatric surgeon who tries to do that incomplete job. It’s a spiritual journey that gives unparallel positivity, when you see and hear that the child you operated for malformations is doing well in life. Also, paediatric surgeon should always be persistent in improving surgical results, try to do more research on the topic and harness techniques to lessen the morbidities associated with the congenital malformations. Although, it is difficult to give 100% results in few conditions, but our efforts should continue towards achieving the goal of reducing IMR, which is the road towards developed nation.