Mumbai: Enquiries for genital reconstructive surgery rise

Lalita Salve's genital reconstructive surgery (GRS) at state-run St George Hospital seems to have turned many heads. The hospital has received two inquiry calls related to the surgery. Salve's operation is the first such case in St George Hospital, Fort undergoing GRS.

Dr Madhukar Gaikwad, medical superintendent, St George Hospital, said, "We don't have much details about the two cases but one of them came via a doctor, whose friend wants to undergo the surgery. We have told them to visit the hospital for further evaluation."

Dr Rajat Kapoor, a plastic surgeon at St George Hospital, who performed the surgery, said, "One of the calls was from Varanasi while another call was from Mumbai. There are a lot of physical and mental factors which need to be considered and evaluated."

While it is the first GRS in the hospital, Dr Kapoor has performed around 70 such surgeries in his career. Dr Kapoor added, "Many times, in such cases people are not aware of the medical issues they face. Parents, too, need to be more aware and diagnose it in the earlier stage. These kinds of surgeries should be completed around the school age so that the person does not face problem socially."

Lalita's case has been documented for academic purposes. "We have taken Salve's consent to click photos of before, after and during the surgery. The photos are first shown to Salve and it is only with his approval that we are documenting the photos. The photos disliked by him are deleted. The photos will only be used for documenting it for academic purpose and will not be used for any other motive," added Dr Kapoor.