With the changing dynamics of modern urban society, children’s health concerns have risen. On several occasions, parents face challenges in understanding the symptoms and contacting the best child specialists or Doctors who can identify the different health conditions in children and suggest perfect treatment.

Providing excellent child treatment and paediatric surgeries, Dr KK’s Kidsurg Clinic has emerged as the most reliable and effective childcare clinic in Pune. Dr Kshama Kulkarni, Specialist Paediatric Surgeon, has been offering effective treatments. She has conducted several types of surgeries, helping thousands of children. She is also a pediatric urologist and pediatric laparoscopic Surgeon in Pune with an experience of over 18 years in these fields.

Speaking to the CioLook India team in an engaging interview, Dr Kshama elaborated on her professional journey, inspirations, challenges, and vision.

Dr Kshama, please brief our audience about Dr KK’s Kidsurg Clinic and its USPs.

My clinic – Dr KK’s Kidsurg Clinic, is located in the well-known locality of Kothrud, in the heart of Pune city, well connected to the patients by public and private transport from all the areas around Pune and outside Pune too. Patients from all strata visit the clinic for their varied surgical conditions. I am trained to handle all surgical procedures in children.
Our clinic is a one-stop solution for consulting for any surgical requirements in the kids. Many patients visit us for ‘second opinions’ considering the vast experience of the doctor in the field of pediatric surgery and pediatric urology. Patients have developed trust with us due to our extensive experience and knowledge. They bring us new patients, through their recommendations.

Please tell us about your hospital offerings and what makes them stand out.

A child is not a miniature adult, and hence the surgical problems in children require the expertise of a surgeon specially trained in handling children and have enough experience with various anomalies and conditions in children. Most parents with a child with a surgical problem do not know that specially trained surgeons dedicate their practice to children’s surgery.

We clear all doubts about the child’s problem, the need for surgery, the safety of surgery, and anaesthesia in small children, for which the parents are always worried. They are often misguided by others who do not deal in this field. Our expertise and the importance of customizing the treatment to individual child’s needs should not be overemphasized.
We offer a wide range of pediatric surgical treatments. They include paediatric urology, neonatal surgeries, pediatric gastrointestinal and thoracic surgeries, pediatric cancer surgeries, pediatric plastic surgery, burns, and minimally invasive surgeries (keyhole surgeries and endoscopic surgeries) in children from the newborn stage to adolescent ages. All varieties of Hypospadias and DSDs requiring surgeries, are seen in this clinic. We treat the common problems like constipation, cuts, injuries, hernia hydroceles, etc., to the more complex reconstructive urology and cancers in kids! The ethics of medical care which we follow makes us stand out.

Please tell us about your journey in the child healthcare sector and how the clinic excels in the pediatric segment.

I am glad to inform you that I am a Gold Medalist in Pediatric Surgery (M. Ch) from the prestigious institute of the country – CMC Vellore, Tamilnadu. Before my super specialization in pediatric surgery, I completed my Master’s in General Surgery (MS) from GMC, Nagpur. I also hold the degree of Diplomate of National Board, New Delhi (DNB) in general surgery. I completed the prestigious MRCS (gen. surgery) degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, England.

However, I chose to continue my practice in India to help patients from our own country who need my expertise the most. My quest to keep learning advanced treatments for the benefit of the patients led me to visit Necker’s children’s hospital Paris in 2014. And for robotic pediatric urology, I visited Children’s National hospital, Washington DC, USA, in 2019. With such rich experience, knowledge, and the quest to keep updating newer technologies in the operations of kids, we excel in managing our patients.

What was your inspiration behind venturing into this sector?

Child care and child surgery are one of the most dynamic and at the same time most delicate branch to work. One needs to be very passionate about treating children. A child is not just a miniature adult. Hence they require specialized care and dedication from the caregivers. Unless one has taken enough experience in surgeries on babies, one can’t give good results to the patients. It is very satisfying to treat the kids, provide them with their childhood, and smile back.

Please share your opinion on the impact of the latest technologies, like AI /MI, in driving changes in the modern medical field.

Modern technologies like AI and MI are always good to learn about and adapt to simplify our day-to-day work. Telemedicine has proved itself as a boon during COVID times. We, too, have adapted to this. We do online consultations for patients when it’s impossible for them to visit the doctor. And for patients outside India who don’t get appointments in their countries of residence.

The 3D printing tech has helped us create some organ models that support our surgical outcomes, especially in cancer surgeries. The AI has enabled us to preserve patient data, send patients notifications about their appointments, schedule follow-up visits, and give feedback. So we can improve on where we are lacking. I have also taken training in robotic surgery. I offer the benefit of these advanced treatments whenever I feel the patient would benefit.

What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

There is still much lack of awareness about paediatric surgery in India. People are still unaware that a child who needs surgery needs to be seen by a trained and experienced paediatric surgeon with expertise in operating on children. Often the child is directed to a general surgeon (adult surgeon) or adult urologist for their treatment. Parents must be made aware that if they want a good outcome and updated treatments for their kids, they must only be operated upon by surgeons specializing in pediatric surgery.

Children deserve care from paediatric surgeons for their surgical requirements. On several occasions, they are referred to us after some complication happens. That’s not good for the children. Moreover, late or wrong referral causes more harm to the patient. Patients are often told that their child is too small, delaying the surgery. We, as paediatric surgeons, know which problem needs to be operated on at what ideal age. And with the advent of anaesthesia, we operate even on very small babies when required.

That awareness is still lacking even in many medicos, apart from parents. To counsel them on the need for surgery at that age is a real challenge we face. Also, instruments which we use for children are very delicate. Paediatric cystoscopes and endoscopes are still not manufactured in India and are costly. Further, there requires replacement wear and tear due to the fineness of instruments. The calculated doses of medicines require expertise. Everything needs a dedicated unit. These are the biggest challenge for us.

Dr Kshama, what is your advice to budding entrepreneurs and medical professionals?

In the healthcare industry, ethical practice is very important for long-term sustainability. Hundreds of happy patients won’t put a review for you. But one unsatisfied patient would definitely put a negative review. Please don’t get disheartened by it. Try to give your best and consider each patient as your child. Advise parents what you would have done for your child in such a scenario. Most of the time that will be the right decision.

Competition is rising, but don’t leave ethics behind. If a child doesn’t need surgery or any medicine for that problem, guide them accordingly. They will be more than happy. But when surgery is a must, document it and inform the parents about the advantages, leaving the decision to them.

Give enough time to extract history and clinical diagnosis. Though, this art is slowly vanishing. It will often help you when some investigations are unreliable, especially in children. Counsel the relatives adequately about the daily progress after the operation and document everything in notes.

Please elaborate on your plans for scaling your hospital offerings.

We are aiming to reduce the patient waiting time. By giving online consults for far-off patients and sending reminders of appointments, we are helping them with insurance-related queries. We are also creating awareness about the speciality through camps and reviews from our treated patients. We are taking our treatment and care to the next level.