( by Shobita Dhar TNN )
The common paper clip is certainly a versatile piece of twisted steel.On occasion,it can open locks or even double up as a tooth pick.But Dr Pushkar Waknis,a Pune-based maxillofacial surgeon,found an altogether unexpected use for it to keep the skin flap in place while operating.Not only is it effective,but also more easily accessible than the textbook-prescribed Raney clips,which are hard to find in India and,at Rs 40,000 a box,quite expensive.
The paper clip can bring down the cost of the surgery by around Rs 3,000.This can be a big amount for a poor patient, says Dr Waknis,who works at Dr D Y Patil College of Dentistry and Nursing.He co-wrote a paper on this innovation,which was published in the Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery last year.
The Indian habit of jugaad roughly,making do with what you have is now coming handy in surgeries and clinics,reducing healthcare costs considerably.Enterprising surgeons are replacing costly,disposable imported surgical devices with cheaper,more common and locally-sourced tools.Being frugal,say doctors,doesnt mean they compromise on quality and safety.
Such low-cost alternatives are usually developed in Third World countries where the state has not been able to take quality healthcare to the masses.We come up with jugaad because we have to cater to all patients,whether poor or rich, says Dr Suresh Vasistha,joint secretary of the Association of Surgeons of India and a laparoscopic surgeon himself.
An inspiration on this count is Dr Shibu Vasudevan Pillai,a neurosurgeon at Narayana Health City (formerly Narayana Hrudalaya) in Bangalore.Dr Pillai uses a locally-manufactured ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt to drain out fluid from the brain.Traditional shunts made abroad are 10 times costlier the ones we use cost Rs 3,000 per unit, says Pillai.
The common paper clip is certainly a versatile piece of twisted steel.On occasion,it can open locks or even double up as a tooth pick.But Dr Pushkar Waknis,a Pune-based maxillofacial surgeon,found an altogether unexpected use for it to keep the skin flap in place while operating.Not only is it effective,but also more easily accessible than the textbook-prescribed Raney clips,which are hard to find in India and,at Rs 40,000 a box,quite expensive.
The paper clip can bring down the cost of the surgery by around Rs 3,000.This can be a big amount for a poor patient, says Dr Waknis,who works at Dr D Y Patil College of Dentistry and Nursing.He co-wrote a paper on this innovation,which was published in the Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery last year.
The Indian habit of jugaad roughly,making do with what you have is now coming handy in surgeries and clinics,reducing healthcare costs considerably.Enterprising surgeons are replacing costly,disposable imported surgical devices with cheaper,more common and locally-sourced tools.Being frugal,say doctors,doesnt mean they compromise on quality and safety.
Such low-cost alternatives are usually developed in Third World countries where the state has not been able to take quality healthcare to the masses.We come up with jugaad because we have to cater to all patients,whether poor or rich, says Dr Suresh Vasistha,joint secretary of the Association of Surgeons of India and a laparoscopic surgeon himself.
An inspiration on this count is Dr Shibu Vasudevan Pillai,a neurosurgeon at Narayana Health City (formerly Narayana Hrudalaya) in Bangalore.Dr Pillai uses a locally-manufactured ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt to drain out fluid from the brain.Traditional shunts made abroad are 10 times costlier the ones we use cost Rs 3,000 per unit, says Pillai.
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