NEW DELHI: A septuagenarian couple from Southern Africa had a unique request to their orthopaedic surgeons here: they be put under the knife together.
The couple from Botswana was wheelchair-bound and suffered from end-stage knee arthritis. They held each others’ hands and placed their request, prompting doctors at Aakash Healthcare, Dwarka, to pay heed to their appeal.
They landed here on July 20. Both have an eight- to nine-year-long history of knee issues that made it difficult for them to walk and stand, the hospital said.
The couple wanted to be together as their children are far away and they wanted to take care of each other. They had planned their medical trip in 2020, too, but then cancelled as they feared being separated during the procedure, a doctor said.
However, this time, they had just about four to five weeks to undergo their surgeries and get fully rehabilitated, he said.
“This is a pretty unusual scenario as the couple did not want to be separated and were very anxious about their recovery. We went ahead with the plan of operating on both patients at the same time, but with all necessary preparations. We ensuring dedicated support staff for them,” Dr Aashish Chaudhry, Director and Head, Orthopaedics, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery, said.
The rehabilitation process was also planned in congruence with their situation, he said, adding the hospital arranged for a separate room for them.
“The surgeries went fine and both were shifted out of the operation theatre together. It was very heartening to see them coming out together with a smile. They started walking on Day 1 and thereafter, within no time, they started bending their knees effectively and without pain with the help of physiotherapy,” he added.
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