In a rare invasive procedure, a 100-year old from Kharama village of Basholi tehsil in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir underwent a successful upper GI Endoscopy at Dr RPGMC, Tanda (HP) on August 6.

Dr Bhanu Awasthi, Principal of Dr RPGMC, Tanda, told UNI today that a team headed by Dr Rajesh Sharma, Professor in the Department of Medicine, performed the procedure. The patient Ali-Akbar was admitted at Dr RPGMC, Tanda on June 4, 2018 with complaint of difficulty in swallowing for past 22 days. On endoscopy, it was found to be having a benign narrowing of oesophagus (food pipe) and is undergoing further work up.

Dr Rajesh Sharma told UNI that at Tanda Medical College since March 2011 at least 20,000 patients underwent such procedures however it was for the first time this procedure was performed in this medical college on a person who is more than century old. Dr Bhanu Awasthi, while lauding the efforts of the team, stated that this endoscopic procedure was carried out for the first time on such an old aged patient, who had crossed 100 years of age, at Tanda. While complimenting the team on their success, the Principal said that the institute will continue to deliver high quality healthcare facility not only to the patients from this hill state but to the patients from the neighbouring states too.