Kolkata , 07 October (H.S.): In a significant milestone for public healthcare accessibility, the first complex neuro-surgical procedure under the Ayushman Bharat scheme was successfully conducted in Jalpaiguri, providing critical relief to a 60-year-old woman without any financial burden on her family.

Munni Roy, a resident of Pandapara in Jalpaiguri town, had been incapacitated by severe lower back trauma after suffering a fall three years ago. Her son, Sanjit Roy, an e-rickshaw driver and the sole earning member of the household, recounted that local medical practitioners had initially recommended advanced surgical intervention in neighboring states. Due to acute financial constraints, the family was unable to afford the travel or the prohibitive cost of surgery, leaving the patient to endure chronic, debilitating pain.

Following the issuance of an Ayushman card, the family approached a local nursing home. Assessing the severity of the spinal injury alongside the family's socioeconomic condition, an operative team led by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kamlesh Biswas and neurosurgeon Dr. Bigan Kamdar took up the case.

According to Dr. Biswas, the surgery lasted approximately two and a half hours, marking the first procedure of its kind covered under the Ayushman Bharat framework in Jalpaiguri district. The surgical team addressed a structural bone displacement that had severely compressed spinal nerves, severely restricting the patient's mobility and causing excruciating pain upon movement.

Attending physicians confirmed that the patient has responded well post-surgery and is expected to regain normal mobility within a few days. The successful intervention has brought immense relief to the family, who had previously faced the prospect of selling their household assets to fund the procedure.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh