Heart ailments on rise in India: Dr Mukadam:
MUMBAI: Globally-acclaimed UK-based transplant surgeon Dr Majid Mukadam said that while heart and lung ailments are on rise in India and the problems compounding because of lack of transplant facilities and regulatory delays.
“The issue is serious and it is a challenge…the medical fraternity need to take urgent steps to address this issue with the government and other stakeholders,” said Dr Mukadam, who during his visit to Mumbai was felicitated by the Indian Society for Heart Failure & Transplantation.
Veteran actress and TV presenter Simi Garewal felicitated the Indian-origin doctor, who hails from Maharashtra.
Dr Mukadam, a lung and transplant surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, has spent the last decade encouraging the Asian community to join the organ donor register – and had earlier been conferred the MBE by Prince Charles, the heir to British throne, at the Buckingham Palace.
Over last two decades, he has been involved in operation of more than 650 heart and lung transplant patients and was able to save many critically ill heart failure patients – which in itself is a record of sorts.
While working in the transplant unit back in United Kingdom, he got an opportunity to see death very closely and realised that precious lives could be saved through successful organ transplantation.
He also noticed that Asian patients were disadvantaged as they had to wait longer on waiting list or die in large numbers due to unavailability of matched suitable donor organs.
He identified the main reason for this disparity was the refusal of Asian community to donate their organs as the matching is dependent on genetic make-up.
He further recognized that there were numerous misconceptions and barriers to organ donation in the Asian community, principle amongst which was ignorance and religious beliefs.
Despite his extremely busy and onerous schedule, Dr Mukadam set out to address these by connecting with religious leaders, scholars and community members and embarking on a sustained awareness campaign. This cause took him to mosques, temples, Gurudwaras and even churches besides other community events across the whole of England.
Dr Mukadam’s journey commenced with initial schooling in a beautiful coastal village, Kolthare in Konkan coastal belt of Maharashtra. He then moved to Mumbai for further education and completed SSC from Rosary High School, in Mazgaon area of south Mumbai, HSC from Jai Hind College with distinctions followed by MBBS degree from the most coveted Seth G.S. Medical College & KEM Hospital. He joined Lokmanya Tilak medical College and Sion Municipal General Hospital for his post-graduation and obtained MS degree in General Surgery. He rejoined KEM Hospital for super-specialisation in Cardio-Vascular & Thoracic Surgery and completed M.Ch degree. He travelled to England in 1996 and completed MRCS (Member of Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh) and FRCS C-Th (Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons) in Cardiothoracic Surgery. He joined advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Unit at prestigious Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Birmingham, which is one of the largest hospitals in Europe.
Mumbai base heart Surgeon Dr.Mukadam honored highest British award, Felicitation held in Mumbai.
