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Overcoming Odds: Medical Student Who Had Robotic Colorectal Surgery Bags Gold Medal

Writer: Nida Fatima

Nida Fatima is enrolled in Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. She has done her Bachelors in Science and now she is pursuing Master’s in Mass Communication. She is an effective communicator aspiring to be a journalist with conscience, clarity, reason and balance.

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Tamil Nadu, 24 Sep 2021 4:17 PM GMT

Editor : Madhusree Goswami |

A mountain girl trying to make it big in the city. She loves to travel and explore and hence keen on doing on-ground stories. Giving the crux of the matter through her editing skills is her way to pay back the journalism its due credit.

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According to the reports, in 2017, she was diagnosed with low rectal cancer. At that time, she was just 24 and was about to pursue to postgraduate studies.

Overcoming all odds, a 28-year-old post-graduate medical student who successfully underwent robotic colorectal surgery at Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery, has now completed her postgraduate studies and won a gold medal.

According to the reports, in 2017, she was diagnosed with low rectal cancer. At that time, she was just 24 and was about to pursue to postgraduate studies. After the diagnosis, she had thought her medical dreams would be halted, as with conventional surgery for this cancer, the patient is left with a colostomy, a surgically-created opening in the body that routes bowel waste into a colostomy bag.

However, with robotic surgery, the cancer was removed and the colon to rectal connection reconstructed, thus preventing a colostomy, said Venkatesh Munikrishnan, consultant colorectal & robotic surgeon. She thought her dreams would be shattered. Hoping for a solution to let her live everyday life without the colostomy bag, she visited Dr. Ventakesh Munnikrishnan, Consultant Colorectal and Robotic Surgeon, at the Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery after the diagnosis.

Struggle and outcome

Dr. Ventakesh Munnikrishnan said, "With the robotic colorectal surgery, we were able to remove cancer and reconstruct the colon to rectal, anal connection, thus avoiding a permanent colostomy. The patient then went on to finish her course and excelled, bagging a gold medal. The benefits of robotic surgery are less blood loss and quicker recovery."

In his video message, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, cancers, in particular, are taking a significant toll and colorectal cancers are on the rise, thus becoming a major threat.

Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, said that there had been several advances in minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic colorectal surgery. On Thursday, the hospital celebrated the completion of five years of the Robotic Colorectal Surgery Programme.

"Over the last few years, there have been several advances in minimally invasive techniques such as robotic colorectal surgery, which has led to a significant change in the management of colorectal diseases," said Preetha Reddy, executive vice-chairperson. The occasion also marked the completion of five years since the Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery began offering minimally invasive robotic surgical techniques and technology.

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Writer : Nida Fatima

Editor : Madhusree Goswami

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Robotic colorectal surgery