Shortage of neurosurgeons in India major issue, notes AIIMS doctor

“In India, there is one neurosurgeon available per 10 lakh people. The ideal ratio should be atleast one neurosurgeon for every one lakh population,” said Dr Gupta.
Deepak Gupta with Dr Shashank Sharad Kale, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, AIIMS, during a press conference | Express
Deepak Gupta with Dr Shashank Sharad Kale, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, AIIMS, during a press conference | Express

NEW DELHI: On World Head Injury Day, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) doctor Deepak Gupta from the Department of Neurosurgery said that there is an acute shortage of neurosurgeons performing head surgeries in the country.

He added that head injuries kill one person every three minutes. On the occasion, doctors are being trained to identify brain-dead people (when a person is on artificial support and their brain function stops). He said that if a brain-dead patient can be detected early, then the ventilator can be used for other patients. To do this, the doctors need proper training.

“In India, there is one neurosurgeon available per 10 lakh people. The ideal ratio should be at least one neurosurgeon for every one lakh population,” said Dr Gupta. The press conference was also attended by Dr Shashank Sharad Kale, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, AIIMS. Dr Gupta said that there are about four thousand neurosurgeons in India. Only 200 to 300 of them are available in Delhi.

While speaking on organ donation, Dr Gupta stated that India is far behind in organ donation and law is a big reason behind this. He said that 47 people donate organs for every 10 lakhs in Spain whereas in India only 0.34 people donate organs for the same population. “In India the decision of cadaver (organ donation from dead people) is not made on the decision of people who have already registered for organ donation,” he added.

The organs of a brain-dead person cannot be donated without the permission of his/her family, whereas in many other countries, a brain-dead person is already considered eligible for organ donation. According to Dr Kale, 70 lakh people donate blood every year in India but only 700 people donate organs.

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