“India needs a comprehensive approach to healthcare and there is an immediate need to implement holistic policies. We have to take a cue from the US where a sizeable budget is allocated exclusively for the healthcare of the citizens.” This is what Dr. Umesh Srikantha, renowned neurosurgeon and Consultant Head of Spine Services at Aster CMI Hospital, Hebbal, Bengaluru has to say of India’s healthcare system. In an exclusive tete-etete with Karnataka Today’s Denzil Rithesh, Dr. Umesh disseminates his knowledge on spine health in the perspective of a layman apart from emphasizing on the need to conduct awareness camps on the all-pervasive spine related issues.
One of the handful of spine surgeons in India with an expertise in the latest MISS, he expressed a lot of concern on the ignorance and negligence that Indians have with regard to spine issues. An MBBS from Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli and M.Ch (Neurosurgery) from National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Dr Umesh has a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (FMISS) from South Korea. His areas of special interest are Minimally Invasive Spine surgery, Endoscopic Spine surgery, Complex Spine Surgery, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Neuro-oncology.
How common is Spinal surgery among patients that visit you regularly? And what is the frequency of patients with back pain visiting the hospital?
Spinal problems are one of the most ubiquitous ailments though often ignored. Apart from common cold backache is most common cause for absence from work.
An average of 10 patients’ visit me in a day with various indications of spine related aches and pains. 75% of adults have at least one episode of disabling back pain.
Most of the time spine problems are degenerative in nature, i.e., they occur due to wear and tear which is a liability associated with aging and 5 percent because of arthritis. Even trauma, neoplastic growth or a nerve compression can lead to spine problems.
Back pain can hamper normal functioning of an individual and can lead to depression – Have you seen any relationship in your practice?
Yes, there is definitely a relationship and it can be directly proportional in a lot of cases. Depression can occur in chronic cases of backache but not in acute cases. However, such cases reported are less in India.
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Karnataka Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Karnataka Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Fish Vends - No Longer A Fishy Tale
New vends are redefining the way fish is sold in the fish loving city of Mangaluru. M Raghuram tell us more
Karnataka Gets Its First Chess Grand Master!
“It has taken me longer than I expected to secure the Grand Master rating mainly due to a lack of permanent sponsorship”, Karnataka’s first Chess Grand Master told R. Uday Kumar during a wide ranging chat in which he discussed his motivation, and displayed his determination to win more laurels for the state.
Travel. Be A Great Leader- Here's How!
Travel is delightful. It relaxes, enriches the eye and the soul, and generally reinvigorates. That is something we all know. But it also provides us with invaluable business leadership skills, says Deepshikha Dhankhar
Mahindra KUV100 NXT A New Ride For The Millennial
The facelifted Mahindra KUV100 has officially gone on sale in India. The refreshed model comes with about 40 new updates and features which is why the company has rechristened it ‘KUV100 NXT’. Karthick Annamalai examines the claim.
The Bald Truth of hair transplant clinics
They are everywhere, like hair on a full head of hair! In newspapers. On websites. In advertisements, on banners and hoardings. Or, right around the corner where you live. Hair transplantation clinics with before-andafter photographs are everywhere! They nail the lie that bald is beautiful! It’s the bald and balding that rush in to these clinics where angels fear to tread! But is it safe? Is your life at risk when you undergo this procedure? Raina Paul finds out.
My work is my business card, says Ramesh Aravind
The USP of Ramesh Aravind is his gregariousness, humility and humbleness. Affectionately called as a Kannada Kamal Hasan by his friends and well-wishers, Ramesh has reached the coveted mile stone of acting in a century of films in 25 years. The specialty of Ramesh Aravind is his immunity to any controversy or gossip in Sandalwood. He considers his journey that began 25 years ago as a beautiful and wonderful journey. He has played a variety of roles and taken up a variety of responsibilities in the film industry - acting, directing, script-writing and anchoring. He shares his sweet memories and the journey with Y Maheswara Reddy.
The Cauvery dilemma
Both north and south Karnataka are in a tizzy over water. North Karnataka over the utilisation of waters of the Mahadayi River (see article on Page 24) and South Karnataka over the utilization of the Cauvery River. This is probably the result of a skewed discourse which is framed by the limited terms of water availability. It’s an I win you lose kind of discourse - water allocated to one state is the loss of another, and the water that reaches the sea is a waste. Is there a way to deal with these disputes other than the legal? Prabhu Mallikarjunan traces the history and outcome of the dispute and puts forth the farmer’s perspective.
In contempt of the People's Court
Can the Government of the people, by the people and more importantly for the people, ignore the voice of the people in a democracy is the moot question this article throws up. Public consultation is important and there will always be dissenting voices. But when they are overwhelming, is the government justified in unilaterally overruling public sentiment?
Playing the Piano Is Like Breathing for Me: Rhys Concessao
Rhys Concessao is a musical prodigy. At the age of 12, he is already a performer on the world’s best stages, from the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and is the winner of multiple awards including the Most Distinguished Pianist Award and the Young Talent Encouragement award. He is also the Music Ambassador for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, a very prestigious foundation in the musical world. Karnataka is proud of his achievements as his roots are in Mangaluru on the western coast of Karnataka. Here is Rhys answering a few questions for our readers about his musical journey put to him by Karnataka Today’s Allwyn Mascarenhas.
Robin Mathews : Samajwadi Party candidates will enter Karnataka Vidhana Soudha in 2018
The party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the strong man of Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) made its debut in Karnataka bagging one seat in the Assembly elections held in 2013. Robin Mathews heads the party in Karnataka and is hopeful of strengthening its base in the run up to the state’s assembly elections in 2018. He spoke to Y Maheswara Reddy about the state of the party and his plans to the make it the party of the state!
