India is a country where more number of people are ascending the financial ladder everyday than ever before- bringing expendable income to households deprived of it before. India is also a country where good height is considered a positive physical attribute. This combination has seen the number of people seeking limb lengthening surgery going up in the nation in the past few years. The surgery, many people claim, help bring them better marriage and career prospects.
But it’s not all hunky dory on this front. For one thing, the surgery is more or less completely unregulated. Also, it carries a certain level of stigma.
Dr. Amar Sarin is someone who began offering the surgery as a cosmetic procedure some six years ago. According to the doctor, “This is one of the most difficult cosmetic surgeries to perform, and people are doing it after just one or two months’ fellowship, following a doctor who is probably experimenting himself. There are no colleges, no proper training, nothing.”
Prospective patients though, seem to be not too bothered about such factors. They even include people from abroad, thanks to India’s medical tourism industry which is estimated to be worth $3bn. A big chunk of that worth is thanks to cosmetic surgeries- something that the high cost of procedures in countries in Europe and America perpetuates.
Since starting offering the surgery, Dr Sarin has treated some 300 patients. Just a third of them are from the subcontinent. “It is a growing trend in India. I get around 20 calls a day, with people telling me ‘I want to be tall, I have to be taller,” he says.
One person who underwent the surgery in 2015 claims he met around 20 doctors before finalizing one. “Many of the doctors I approached had only done it once or twice before, and one had never ever done it before. I searched for around one year before I found the right person to do it,” he said.
Patients recovering after surgery
“Unusual, experimental surgery”?
Following concerns being raised by a few doctors regarding the “unusual, experimental surgery” an ethics committee in Andhra Pradesh summoned orthopaedic surgeons last year. The surgery finds the orthopedic specialists in the country in two factions- some of them claiming it’s a difficult procedure which may cripple people for life.
According to Dr Sudhir Kapoor, the president of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, “We don’t recommend for people to do this surgery except for in very rare cases. These surgeries are not done routinely and there’s a high risk of complications.”
Invented in Siberia, practised in India
The limb lengthening surgery was invented by a Polish man, Gavriil Ilizarov. It was pioneered in a small Siberian town named Kurgan during the 1950s.
The curious fact is that Ilizarov was once considered as a quack. But later, once he did orthopaedic operations on people including an Olympic high jump champion, he came to be known as the “magician from Kurgan.” However, Ilizarov never intended the procedure to be used for cosmetic reasons. He used it for those who were injured in accidents or were born with limbs of varying lengths.
The technique is now used by surgeons across the subcontinent. Many a modern modification has been made to make it faster and less painful. Dr Sarin has earned a global reputation for his skills with the surgery. He says that at first, he struggled with the ethical aspect of it. “I used to wonder whether what I’m doing is right, but when I saw how much their self-esteem was improving, I decided to keep going,” he said.
But he does say that the procedure should only be a last resort. “We often turn people away..We try counselling first, but we’ve had patients who even threaten to commit suicide if I refuse to do the surgery. Twice I’ve had to call the police in emergency situations like that,” he said.
Though Dr. Sarin says that “It’s madness to do it” he is of the opinion that successful limb lengthening could transform someone’s life. “You can barely recognise them. It’s worth it when you see how much their self esteem grows,” he said.
Now that more number of people are seeking the surgery, the medical fraternity should set quality standards and guidelines for the same. Adequate training of doctors is also something that the fraternity and the government should focus on.
Image credits: vikatan.com, theguardian.com
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