Poem surgery at affordable cost in SUM Hospital

Surjit Kumar Dhal, Bhubaneswar, Sept. 5: The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here has so far conducted 25 procedures employing the Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) method with great success continuing its focus on the most recent and advanced technology to treat patients suffering from Achalasia Cardia, a serious complication of the esophagus. Achalasia Cardia is a disease in which the patient is unable to swallow food, water or any other liquid while medicines are not effective.

            Previously, medical experts conducted balloon dilation which also was not able to deal with the problem. Open surgery, called ‘Hellers Myotomy’, was the only alternative left which required cutting through the chest and abdomen. “POEM is the most recent and advanced technology to deal with Achalasia Cardia where the surgery performed through the mouth is extremely effective and is a safe procedure. There is no need for blood and the patient is able to take food the very next day,” Prof. Manoj Kumar Sahu, Head of the department of Gastroenterology at the IMS and SUM Hospital, said. “We have performed POEM on 25 patients so far with great success and all the patients are doing fine,” he said.

            Four such surgeries were conducted on August 28 in the hospital in the presence of Dr. Rajesh Puri, Gastroenterologist from Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, who supervised the surgery. Prof. Sahu, who was trained in POEM procedure in Japan and China, said all the 25 surgeries had been done free of charge though each procedure costs Rs. two to five lakh elsewhere. “It can be done at a cost of Rs. 10,000 in IMS and SUM Hospital,” he said adding his department was able to conduct the most advanced and sophisticated surgeries and provide world class care at the most affordable cost.  Doctors in Odisha can be trained in the minimal invasive POEM technology so that it could be performed in other hospitals of the state, he said.