We had visited Dr Niraj for conducting a hysterectomy on my wife in April 2019. The surgery resulted in a massive complication, and within 72 hours of surgery, my wife had to be readmitted because of a subsidiary injuryWe had visited Dr Niraj for conducting a hysterectomy on my wife in April 2019. The surgery resulted in a massive complication, and within 72 hours of surgery, my wife had to be readmitted because of a subsidiary injury that had resulted to an adjoining organ during the course of the surgical procedure.
Despite this I recommend the doctor -he has a humane approach, he is professional and is a good man. Here are the details:
The doctor came well recommended and everyone we spoke to had praises for him. When we met him for the first time, we found him extremely warm and he spent a lot of time explaining what the problem was and what the available options were. His manner was so reassuring that my wife who had been dead set against surgical intervention (she had been putting off surgery for over 2 years) was inspired to opt for it straightaway. Just because he explained the alternatives so well and in detail. Although we had the option to get the procedure done at Military Hospital, we opted to go to Dr Niraj , firstly because of the reputation he carried and our experience during the 20 min interaction we had with him, and secondly because the laparoscopic option was not available to us in the Military Hospital.
The surgery was completed and she was discharged the next day.30 hours after discharge she started suffering severe abdominal pain. Her condition was such that we could not travel back to the same hospital where the surgery had taken place (it was 40 km away and the internal wounds were still very raw - roads being what they are, there was no way she could have traveled that distance). But we spoke to Dr Niraj and we went to a nearby branch of the same hospital. She was there from morning to evening, given painkillers and we returned.
Next morning, her situation was even worse - more pain, inability to ingest either food or water. Dr Niraj told us phone that we needed to visit a GI surgeon and suggested one at a hospital in Lakdi ka Pul. In retrospect, he probably realized what had happened, but did not tell us.
To cut short a long story - we finally got her admitted to another hospital (not the one recommended by Dr Niraj). There it was discovered that during the process of hysterectomy , the urinary bladder had been perforated. As a result, urine was filling the abdominal cavity and the entire digestive system had gone into paralysis. Not having eaten for 2 days, and already being anemic, a blood transfusion needed to be done, and then the perforation had to be set right.
A supposedly common surgical procedure requiring a 1 day hospital stay metamorphosed into a 7 day hospital stay for us. Obviously, costs also multiplied, and I was paying out of my pocket - having opted out of the Military Hospital that I was covered by.
Despite this experience, my wife and I hold no grudge against Dr Niraj. I still say he is a fantastic man, and he is professional in his dealing. He was in touch with us throughout our ordeal, even when we opted to go to a hospital other than the one he recommended when the complications set in. He was always available to us on phone and never once did I get the feeling that he avoided speaking to us after the incident - that's saying something, because I know that he is a very busy man. He even came to visit us at the 2nd hospital.
We were advised to examine legal options under the Consumer Protection Act, but opted not to do so. Surgery is a difficult art, and every outcome cannot be perfect. The complications that we experienced were sad for us, *** **** **** *** **** **** **** *** **** **** ** ** ********** ** ** * **** **** ******* We need to give space to the man practicing his profession.
I was also advised to ask him to take on the bills for the 2nd hospitalization - after all it happened because there was a mistake in the first. Besides, I was paying out of my pocket both times, as I had opted out of the treatment we were entitled to the Military Hospital We opted not to - for the same reasons, we need to give a doctor his space and accept that mistakes happen sometimes. Besides, its not in good taste.
We also learnt that this was not the first time such an incident had happened with him. I'm not sure how accurate that input is but if true, that's the only thing I feel bad about - by symptoms alone,the probable cause should have been identified on the very first day after discharge, particularly if you have past experience to draw upon.
I have held myself back from posting this experience over the past 10 months because I did not want anger and pain to cloud my judgement or influence what I wrote. So this review is a dispassionate one - even if I say so myself.
We often ask ourselves what we would do if we were to face the same situation again, and also had the benefit of hindsight. Would we go to him again? Its a difficult question to answer - but we would not blindly rule him out. We would seriously consider him. At the end of the day , he has a good reputation and despite our experience, we still carry a good opinion of him.
As a final piece of advice, remember that the best of doctors make mistakes. There could be any number of ways in which a simple procedure could go wrong, sometimes with devastating consequences. That does not necessarily make the doctor a bad one.
…show moreshow less