Paediatric Surgery has become a well-recognized interest speciality of general surgery although its boundaries remain poorly defined. As an area of special interest in surgery, it has developed primarily for two reasons.
The first of these is the unique nature of congenital anomalies which occur in new-born infants.
The second reason has been a gradual understanding that the physiological responses of a baby are qualitatively as well as quantitively different from an adult and that dramatic changes can occur with greater rapidity during the operative and postoperative care of an infant. Familiarity with these responses and an extended experience with their management is essential for proper surgical care of infants and young children.
One such clinic that is contributing to treating patients with proficiency in Paediatric Surgery is Dr Kshama Kulkarni’s Kidsurg. Their ethical surgery practice and their experience in dealing with complex cases make them one of the best expertise to treat paediatric surgical and urological problems.
In an exclusive interview with Insights Success, Dr Kshama Kulkarni sheds light on the clinic’s journey, the current industry scenario, and her opinions on the future of the clinic.
Please brief our audience about your clinic, your USP, and how you are currently positioned as one of the best childcare clinics?
My clinic is situated in the heart of Pune (Kothrud) where I cater to all patients from new-born to adolescent age group with paediatric surgical and urological problems. The paediatricians usually refer our patients if they find any surgical problem in the child or many a times if the paediatrician is not able to diagnose or resolve the issue, they ask for a surgical consult from us.
Our USP is “Ethical surgical practice” we advise surgery only when the problem does not have any medical management and mostly it is a curative surgery. Early diagnosis and accurate treatment of the problem because of our experience in dealing with complex cases, make us best in our field.
Tell us more about your clinic and what aspects make it stand out in the fierce competition?
As my clinic is situated in the heart of Pune (Kothrud), it is accessible to patients even from surrounding districts. Patients visit here more for “second opinion,” at times it is a fifth or sixth opinion for which the patients refer to visiting this clinic.
Being exceptionally well academically (gold medallist) and with many years of experience in handling complex paediatric surgical problems, our patients have developed a trust with us, and that brings us many new patients through their recommendation.
The ethics of practice, continuous thrive to keep up with the current advanced treatments available worldwide and using them in India and being approachable to all socioeconomic strata makes us stand out in this competition.
Dr Kshama completed her prestigious degree in MRCS (surgery) from the Royal College of Surgeons, England, but continued her practice in India. She also completed her DNB surgery from the national board of exams in New Delhi. Due to her quest and liking for treating kids with surgical problems, she did her super specialization (M. Ch) in Paediatric Surgery, from the renowned medical institute of India – CMC Vellore.
During the three years of rigorous training in paediatric surgery and urology, Dr Kshama has successfully performed surgeries on thousands of patients with complex anomalies too, many a time even complete reconstructive surgeries were done.
Dr Kshama has also visited Necker’s children hospital Paris as an Honorary consultant paediatric surgeon, to keep her updated with the meticulous knowledge in this field. Recently in 2019, she visited Children’s National Hospital, Washington D.C, USA, to learn newer techniques and comprehend knowledge in robotic paediatric urology from the experts in this field.
With such rich experience, knowledge, and the quest to keep updating with newer techniques and treatment protocols, we excel in managing our patients
Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on how the adoption of modern technologies like AI and ML is impacting the healthcare sector and how are you adapting to the change?
Yes, AI and ML are certainly changing and with the lockdown, we all have understood its importance. Though it is still in its infancy in pedsurg practice, we certainly have started to change, and now we offer online consults to patients in remote areas where ped surgeon is not available.
Also, we are training the general surgeons and paediatricians through online seminars on ped Surg.
Considering the current pandemic, what initial challenges did you face and how did you drive the clinic to sustain operations while ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time?
The clinic was never closed in lockdown, we were operating with all safety measures like PPE kits, face shields, and social distance protocols for all involved in the treatment including our staff. Online consultations (tele consults) were initiated, and people have slowly accepted the new norm.
Suspected patients of COVID-19 were refrained from visiting the clinic. Strict monitoring of temperature and sanitization protocols are still being followed to this date.
What would be your advice to the young generation who aspire to become childcare specialists?
Practice ethically, sincerely, and be punctual. Take enough time to extract clinical history from the patient; your clinical acumen will help you to reach a diagnosis, with the support of the necessary investigation and there is no shortcut for this.
- Do not just treat “diagnosis reports,” treat patients!
- A good surgeon knows when not to operate, so do not try to treat all patients by surgeries.
- Treat every child as your own, only then, you can give the best possible advice on management and exact treatment.
How do you envision scaling your clinic’s operations and offerings in 2022 and beyond?
We are reducing the waiting time for patients before consulting. Also, smoothening the appointment process and increasing the teleconsultations slots.
We plan to increase the reach to remote patients, offering, affordable treatment, and requesting insurance companies to cover congenital anomalies.
A Proficient Leader
DR KK’s KIDSURG advanced paediatric surgical clinic is the brainchild of Dr Kshama Kulkarni, a gold medallist in Paediatric surgery from the apex institute of INDIA – CMC Vellore. She has done her M.B.B.S From Grant Medical College and J.J Group of Hospitals Mumbai, followed by an internship in the same hospital.
After pursuing M.B.B.S, Dr Kshama Kulkarni has completed her postgraduation in General surgery from GMC Nagpur, where with loads of patients with a variety of surgical problems, she was trained in performing surgeries.
